Unearthed
by Accidentally The Whole Fanfic
Summary: Following a mysterious earthquake that strikes Echo Town one night, aspiring paranormal investigator Henry Turner finds himself jumping at the chance to stay at his cousin Rio's farm while inspecting the strange incident for himself. But with the help of two journalists he meets on the way, the trio discovers that there's more at stake than just a front-page story. Slash. M later.
1. Prologue: Removal

Prologue: Removal

* * *

" _Still_ no word...?"

Faye shook her head gravely, letting her mind rest once more. "Not a thing - I mean, we never talked much anyway, but... it's like she went into hiding after that weird... _thing_ last winter. Still, I can feel _something_ there. Something... frightening, actually." With both hands she pushed her hair back, pulling at it and gazing up at the sky. "And it isn't her. It isn't _any_ of them... but whatever happened over there, it's - I don't know. It feels like it's been going on quite a while, but... why would they let it go on so long without fixing it? Or sending for our help?" Chewing her lower lip in frustration, she sucked in a deep breath and shut her eyes. "...It's moving closer, and closer towards this town. This... it's something malevolent. And we're right in its path..."

Tugging worriedly at her emerald-green braid, Gaia slumped against the cliffside and softly mumbled something under her breath - Faye had uncharacteristically rushed to seek her aid only a few short moments ago, after receiving a rather ominous premonition earlier in the day, and failing to establish contact with a fellow witch who lived in Castanet - the source of the unrest. "Nothing from Gale?" she added at a normal volume, a hopeful note lingering in her voice. Her heart dropped when Faye tossed her messy blonde curls over her shoulder and scoffed, shaking her head. "...You can't reach _him_ , either?!"

"Yeah, but what else is new with that guy?" the witch snorted derisively. "Besides, the other towns can reach them physically, at least, and help them out... my niece told me earlier today that Oak Tree's been sending aid for months now, but things are only getting worse. Things have been pretty screwy there for a while, but the mortals only just started noticing..."

"And we _haven't_?" Gaia asked pointedly, hands on her hips, head cocked to the side.

Sweeping an arm out importantly, Faye shook her head and went on:

"Well, why would we?! That's what _they're_ supposed to be there for! But listen, Gaia, we can't worry about them right now - don't give me that look!" she snapped indignantly, watching her rival's green eyes flash with indignant disbelief. "Alright, first, we've got to worry about keeping that threat away from _here_ , okay? Then I'll hop on my stupid little broom, fly down to Castanet, scare the shit out of everyone, and see what I can do to... _help_ them or whatever - see if Gale's got _anything_ and ask him and Vivi why the hell they never sent for us. But whatever's going on in Castanet will just have to wait until we make sure it's _just_ Castanet that gets affected, okay?! Because right now, let me recap: _We. Are. Next!_ "

Faye's words rang loudly throughout the cold February night, the mountain clearing allowing her echo to reverberate through the glimmering sky. Arms folded under her chest, Gaia regarded her with a hard stare for a few moments, the two women unblinking...

With a defeated sigh, she finally slumped back against the rock, her warm, bare feet inches from the clear pool in which she made her home. If Faye was really taking the trouble to seek audience with her personally, all business for a change... well, the genuine distress in her eyes had been enough to catch Gaia's attention in the first place, without bringing the what and why into the mix. "...I just hope Sephia's not in any great danger," she finally mumbled softly, her voice close to breaking. "If _she's_ out of commission, then... Castanet..."

The unusual sight of Gaia being so downtrodden, so _hopeless_ , caused Faye's glittering red eyes to soften... but only slightly. She still had her pride as a witch, after all.

At least, a little bit.

"And I want to make sure Vivi's okay," Faye said firmly. "And Gale, too, I guess. But, come on, you're all about the mortals, Miss Goody-No-Shoes - so let's do what we can to make sure _too_ many of them don't get screwed over by that... _something_ , okay? Because... because that's _my_ job, damn it!" She held out her cold, bangle-covered hand as Gaia giggled quietly at the unsurprisingly bald sincerity of the statement, looking down at her rival-cum-colleague with a wry smile and placing her own warm, pale, elegant hand atop Faye's.

She was well-accustomed to throwing a wrench into Faye's own schemes to toy with the mortals. It was a good thing the witch was actually embarrassingly soft-hearted at times.

"You know, I thought you liked your broom. Is it chafing you now? Hmm?"

And fun to annoy.

Snorting, Faye rolled her eyes, tossing her hair back once more and closing her eyes. Her wild, loose mess of dirty-blonde curls began to flap and whirl around her, ruby-red waves of light flowing from her fingertips and beginning to wisp off of her body. Her tattered black cape followed suit, floating around as if being blown by a strong wind. "Oh, shove it! I liked you better when you were moping, little smartass... let's just focus, okay?"

Biting back another cheeky remark and sucking in a deep breath, Gaia nodded quietly, closing her own eyes. Her long braid began to whip about as well, along with her diaphanous white cape and long skirt. She said no more as she felt the power pulse from within her body, aura flaring grass-green and troubled mind focused upon the task at hand: Cessation. Protection. Death...

 _Death?!_ She swallowed hard, as her mind corrected itself almost frantically, suddenly aware of a strong sense of hatred pulsing from afar - the sensation had gripped her tightly almost as soon as she'd connected with the land to draw upon its energy. _No... not just death - vengeance!_

Eyes flying open as the surge of seething emotion flooded her veins with surprising force, Gaia let out a loud, ragged gasp and toppled back in midair, the glow about her body flickering and flaring up almost uncontrollably.

"Gaia!" Faye snapped, keeping her eyes firmly shut - her own power was radiating in steady waves despite the distraction. "What the hell are you _doing?!"_

About to ask if Faye didn't feel it, too - the frightening burst of fury and loathing seemingly swelling from the very earth itself - Gaia instead shook her head and furrowed her brow resolutely, regathering her concentration and determined not to let the chance pass to protect her people. Even if it meant fighting back against the land itself, the very entity she was tasked to help nurture and protect...

Faye was mischievous, coarse, rude, and irreverent, but by no means an idiot - she clearly felt it, too, maybe even before Gaia had picked up on it. Something in Castanet, or perhaps someone, had invoked the land's wrath - and now, whatever it had inflicted on Castanet clearly wasn't enough anymore. Perhaps even the mortals in Echo Town could feel the faintest stirrings of trouble, if any were still awake far below them on this chilly winter's night.

And, as much as she wanted to soothe the land's anger, Gaia could tell by the sheer force of it that a fledgeling like herself was no match - especially if it had been festering and growing with the passing months. All she could do was push herself to her limits to ensure that any damage done remained minimal.

 _Sephia... I don't know what's happened to you... but we'll do what we can to help you and the others after this! So hold on, okay?!_

Though her feet didn't touch ground or water, Gaia became immediately aware of the violent trembling, roaring, rumbling - a great, terrible shrieking, a protest against their defense. It had been closer than she'd imagined. Feeling her heart speed up, her fingers shook uncontrollably with the sheer force of keeping her power focused - it was working! She could feel the cold waves of rage rolling farther and farther back as they forced its will away from Echo Town, away from the countless others who would surely suffer in its mission to seek vengeance upon the innocents for some horrible crime... what had _happened_ to cause such fury? And what would happen to Castanet, left to suffer its wrath alone? What had they been going through already?

As Gaia pondered these questions, concentration slipping once more while disturbing images and sensations flashed across her mind's eye, she felt the intense force push back wildly against their power. The mountainside was thrown into even heavier, more chaotic and brutal tremors - the sheer force of which would surely rip apart the very town below in no time at all-

" _NO!_ I... I won't let you touch them! GET... _BACK!"_

" _Gaia?!"_

Faye's eyes flew open just in time to see the blinding flash of colors illuminating Gaia's face - normally beautiful, now distorted with a mixture of fury, horror, and determination - and to get flung away like a mere piece of garbage, the shockwave of the desperate goddess's last-ditch surge of sealing magic erupting across the mountainside and bathing her spring in a nightmarishly colorful glow.

Losing control in the utter shock and terror of the moment, Faye's own powers exploded outward an instant later, briefly running through the ground in red-and-green currents.

She hit the forest floor hard, a painful burst of stars spraying across her field of vision, before everything went black.

* * *

Bolting upright with a disoriented snort, a confused and groggy Rebecca Salazar quickly found herself - quite literally - shaken into lucidity, her breath catching in her throat as fierce tremors and rumbles rocked her house. She could her something shatter, and a loud crashing down the hall found her springing immediately to her feet, slippers slapping loudly against the hardwood floor.

"Toni?!" she screamed, skidding to a stop at her son's bedroom door and throwing it open - much to her relief, the young boy was awake and safe as well, his wide blue eyes finding hers in utter disbelief... though he also wore a wide grin, pointing unsteadily in the direction of his bedroom window. He was holding on tightly to his bed frame to keep from getting pitched onto the floor as the bed rattled and thumped about wildly.

"Du-u-u-ude, Mom! This... is so fuc-"

Shaking her head rapidly, Rebecca held up a hand, the other steadying herself in the doorway as the house continued to quake. "I don't wanna... hear it!" She grunted as a particularly hard jolt knocked her off-balance and into the door. "Come on, Toni! _Vamos -_ we've g-gotta get... outta here!"

As she frantically beckoned the dark-haired eight-year-old over and snatched his hand, turning to spring out of the house as quickly as possible... the tremors suddenly stopped, causing Rebecca to nearly topple and catch herself against the door frame once more. A myriad of emotions warred throughout her body - exhaustion and alertness fought chaotically against fear, relief, confusion, and aggravation.

She was surprised she didn't explode, really. Still...

Slumping down to the ground and letting out a ragged, shaky laugh as she finally processed that the worst seemed to be over - for now - Rebecca turned her head to face a bewildered Toni, drawing him into a tight hug and mussing his hair. "Oh, thank you, God... oh, we're alright. We're _alright, thank_ you, God... you okay, Toto?" she murmured weakly, stroking the black curls soothingly even as Toni whined and squirmed. He finally slipped out from her hold after a few moments, rumpling his hair with a cringe. With a faint hint of amusement, Rebecca noted that it was even messier than before.

"Sheeeeesh! I'm okay, chill out! Don't be such a wuss, Mom! That was _awesome!"_

About to sputter out an astonished rebuttal, Rebecca was stopped as she heard confused, frantic shouts from outside, peppered with muffled barking - the neighbors and their dogs, no doubt. Of _course_ they'd felt it, too... why wouldn't they have? It really would have been ridiculous if her house had just started shaking on its own for no reason, after all...

 _Be just my luck though, eh? Ah, come on, lady,_ she thought as aggravation emerged victorious from the emotional tussle, lolling her aching head against Toni's bedroom door with a soft whine. _Get off your butt - we're good now!_

Springing to her feet again, she darted over to the window at the front of her house - ordering Toni not to move unless he wanted to be grounded until he was forty - and threw it open, taking a brief inventory of the silvery February night outside. Aside from some newly-formed piles of snow where the quakes had shaken it loose, as far as Rebecca could tell - in the glow of the moonlight, anyway - Echo Town was largely unharmed. The dark, shadowy forms of the sleepy town's citizens were emerging from their lit-up houses, all volleying concerns and reassurances back-and-forth, near-and far. Idly, she noticed the stylist who lived by the riverside emerge from his own house next door to the general store, brandishing a flashlight - but everyone else seemed to still have electricity.

 _Small favors, I guess._

"R-R-Rebecca! Is ev-v-v-veryone o-k-k-k-kay?!"

Swiveling her head around, Rebecca spotted her best friend, Emma Sheffield, hopping from foot-to-foot outside the house right next to hers, teeth chattering audibly. Her apple-print nightgown, tightly-crossed arms, and fluffy pink slippers all did little to shield against the bitter February cold; meanwhile, her teenage daughter, Yuri - oddly showing no signs of her usual winter discomfort, even in boxers and a tank top - was rubbing her mother's shoulder soothingly. Her glasses were askew and light-auburn hair was slightly mussed.

"We're okay!" Rebecca called back, waving, and receiving an acknowledging nod from Yuri, who stifled a yawn. "You guys, too? Is anyone hurt?"

"We're okay," Yuri called, her normally-soft, gentle voice raised only slightly so Rebecca could hear her, as Roger Dunhill's voice floated around from nearby - he was making the rounds, checking up on everyone in the aftermath of the earthquake. He'd be stopping over to check up on them in short order, no doubt - at least, unless Dr. Klaus made it across town first. "It's all okay, Ms. Salazar... just a dented teakettle..."

"I kn-kn-knew I should've p-p-put that thing aw-w-w-way," Emma mumbled, rubbing her arms and hunching down further. "Th-th-that was an heir-l-l-loom..."

Suddenly, Toni squeezed into the window frame beside his mother, eliciting a grunt from her as he rather roughly knocked into her side. "Hey, Yuri! Ms. Sheffield! Didja guys see it, too?!"

"Ow! Toni, did you not hear my instructions earlier?! You could've cut your foot on something!" Rebecca snapped, giving her son a hard flick on the forehead and earning an annoyed "Ouch!" for her trouble. "Besides, the Sheffields have to get inside! They're freezing their butts off!"

"I'm fine," Yuri assured them, regarding Toni curiously as he rubbed his forehead and scowled up at Rebecca - Emma, meanwhile, gave the younger woman a thumbs up and scurried indoors with a quick wave, and a "Glad you're all okay!". Turning her attention back to the Salazars, Yuri crossed her arms and cocked her head, raising an eyebrow at Toni. "You say you saw something, huh...?"

"Yeah!" Toni confirmed, nodding enthusiastically, as he thrust his arm out and pointed in the direction of the mountains rising up in the distance, behind their houses. "From over there! It was, like, this cool burst of colors in the sky! Like, all red and green and like Christmas and stuff, and - it was soooo, sooooooo cool! I bet there's an alien back there causing the earthquakes! You should go kick his ass," he added, craning his neck to grin up at his exasperated mother.

Humming thoughtfully, Yuri folded her bare arms over her chest and turned her gaze in the direction Toni had pointed - the night sky was once again clear and starry, and from the corner of her eye, she could see that the sign of Chez Clement, looming over the plaza above them, was now crooked. On the opposite corner of the plaza from that stood her tailor stop, looking peacefully dark and overall unharmed. "Aurora borealis, perhaps," she muttered dreamily, a slight smile crossing her chapped lips. "Pretty... I wish I'd seen it..."'

"And I'm not kicking _anyone's_ ass, alien or not," Rebecca sighed, pushing against a squealing Toni's face until he was out of the window frame. "Go on, back to your room - get some sleep, kiddo. I've gotta clean up the stuff that broke. You clean up any mess in your room tomorrow! Glad you guys are okay!" she added, turning her attention back to Yuri, as Toni rolled his eyes and darted back off to his bedroom with a huff. At the younger girl's nod, Rebecca leaned out a bit further. "Hey, just let me know tomorrow if you guys need any repair work done, okay? I might be having a _lot_ of that for the next few days," she added under her breath, as Yuri simply nodded once more, this time not bothering to stifle her yawning. "Okay - well, tell your mom I'll see her tomorrow. And you go get some sleep, too, girlie. Goodnight!"

"Goodnight, Ms. Salazar," Yuri called back distractedly, her gaze already wandering over to the mountains once more as Rebecca slid the window shut, going to grab her broom, dustpan, and vacuum.

Squinting, Yuri let out another thoughtful hum, trying to picture what Toni had seen - she felt a tiny tinge of jealousy that he'd been able to witness such a beautiful sight amidst the short-lived chaos. Still, the glittering winter sky held its own quiet beauty, and-

Eyes widening slightly, a slight jolt shocked Yuri out of her serene contemplation - the distant treetops flashed an angry red for the briefest and most unnerving of moments, in tandem with a faint, anguished shriek.

Mouth working in soundless shock, she stumbled back against the side of the house, before shakily making her way back indoors. Ms. Salazar was right - she needed to get some more sleep. It wasn't good to stay up so late... her imagination would run away with her, after all...

Suddenly feeling rather chilly as she gazed up at the glittering February sky, Yuri let out a long, shaky exhale through her nostrils, before slipping back into her warm, safe home.

* * *

"Gaia..."

She wasn't sure how much time had passed in her unconsciousness - the ache in her bones and head felt fresh against the numbing snow and frozen dirt, but other than that...

...Other than that, things felt calm, and clear. As they should be...

 _No. No... not entirely..._ Her brow furrowed, twitching the slightest, most irritating bit. _Something's missing..._

Mumbling the goddess's name once more, Faye lurched up into a pained sitting position, gritting her teeth as her temples throbbed. Every pulse sent a flash of red behind her closed eyes, and she groaned weakly. "Gaia... I... Gaia? I think... I think we're okay..."

No answer came. Maybe Gaia was exhausted, too - after all, she wasn't quite as magically experienced yet as Faye... still a baby, really, just like her niece's little friend in Oak Tree. Chuckling weakly, in spite of her pain, Faye clambered uneasily to her feet, gasping as the world seemed to spin around her for a moment with the motion. The pain, the dizziness... it was like the worst of being drunk _and_ hung over, rolled into one hellishly cruel and freezing experience. She wanted to fly back home right now, and just sleep it all off, discuss the matter when she could think, stand, and see straight once again. But Gaia...

...She didn't feel Gaia's presence anymore.

In fact, she didn't feel the hostile presence that had been seeping outward from Castanet, either - whatever threat the land had been presenting had, at least, been confined for the time being. The frightened animals, shivering in their hutches, warrens, burrows, and caves, were the only other signs of life she could sense up here now, aside from her own. The people of Echo Town were clearly nearby, all safe and accounted for in... in the aftermath of _whatever_ had happened, at least. Not that she was skipping around and singing "Glory hallelujah!" over the fact, or anything...

"Gaia!" she tried again, stumbling weakly up the nearby path - she'd been flung quite a ways down the mountainside, but had at least landed in the nearby forest. The walk was still long, but she could tough it out. "This... this isn't funny, you moron! Get... out here, now! Are you alright?! Look, I didn't... _degrade_ myself to working with you... for _this._ Now ANSWER me!""

No answer. Of course not - but, still, Gaia wasn't...

 _No._ She was a goddess... she couldn't have...

No, Gaia was... was...

Ignoring the blinding pain, Faye broke into a wobbly, unsteady run up the mountain trail now, futilely yelling out the goddess's name over and over again, even as she knew there would be no answer. Yet, they were out of danger - they'd kept it at bay together, they'd contained, it, so where the hell _was_ she?!

Throat going dry as she reached the torn, ravaged crater on the mountaintop, Faye fell to her knees and let her next yell die in her chest. Gaia's spring was now a dried-up pit, blackened and scorched, free of snow... or vegetation. Large chunks of uneven rock and dirt far below her told of a landslide taking out the trail leading down to the Undine River, and the air was deathly silent. Deathly silent, and viciously cold.

Not even a trace of her ever-present warmth...

"No. No, no, no, NO. This is stupid - Gaia, where - where the HELL _ARE YOU?!"_ she roared, slamming her hands onto the ground and trying to call upon - really, _anything_. Even a weak sensing charm, in case she'd somehow gone utterly stupid and had somehow missed something. Any spell that could help her, some way to sense and connect with Gaia's consciousness, any trace-

Faye cried out in shock and sagged helplessly, eyes wide as an agonizing jolt lanced across her brain and shattered her concentration. Gritting her teeth, she tried again - only to be met with the same results once more, ripping an anguished scream from her throat and lighting up the sky with a brief burst of red. She collapsed to the ground, pounding it with her fist as the reality of the situation set in.

No Gaia. No way to even _reach_ Gaia... or anyone.

Immortality aside, she was as good as... as _normal_ now.

A bitter chuckle starting to make itself heard under her mumbling, she rolled over onto her back, smacking the ground again. "No... no, that's not right. No fucking way - no, this... this isn't happening. Okay, what the HELL did you do to me, woman?!" she yelled, glaring up at the cruelly-glittering night sky and propping herself up on her numb hands. "AND YOU! WHERE THE _FUCK DID YOU GO?!"_

Silence. Of course. It _would_ be silence... because...

Because...

 _No._ No, Gaia couldn't be taken down that easily, no matter how badly the buffoon screwed up her own spells.

"You... you _idiot..."_

On that last word, Faye's voice hitched - but only for a moment, as she cleared her knotted throat and willed the burn away from her eyes. No, the time for blind emotion had passed - Gaia wasn't dead, _couldn't_ be dead... but, whatever _had_ actually happened was nonetheless extremely grave. Faye was in a state of emergency now, and she needed to keep a cool head as she figured out the details of the situation at hand before things got even worse - for her, for Gaia, and for that stupid little town below that probably wouldn't even _miss_ that reckless fool.

At least they'd succeeded in keeping the primary threat at bay... for all that was worth, now. Still, Castanet had Gale and Vivi to solve their own little issues, once they got their act together - they were more than capable in their own right. They'd gone _this_ long without seeking Faye and Gaia's assistance, after all.

Dragging herself to her feet and propping herself up against the wall of the ridge that rose behind Gaia's spring, Faye shot a hard, ruby-red stare at the dried-up crater. Her body felt weak and drained, her throat was raw, she hurt all over, and she couldn't so much as try to change her own hair color now without suffering a brutal migraine.

" _I'm_ supposed to be the troublemaker around here, you _moron._ I don't know what the _hell_ you were thinking, but... if - when I get you back? Your ass is mine," she spat, before turning to limp back down the trail through the forest.

She still had her pride as a witch, after all.

* * *

Miles away from the night's chaos, in the small city of St. Ruthersford, a young man lay sprawled out in bed, snoring quietly and drooling a bit on the pillow he hugged tight to his cheek. A series of thumps and a rattling noise filled the chilly apartment, before warmth once again started blowing from the vent on the far side of the room.

Dead to the world as his subconscious took him to strange and occasionally wonderful places, Henry Turner didn't hear his phone vibrating on his nightstand, the name "Rio" hovering over the displayed number. He shifted under the thin blanket, mumbling incoherently, and completely unaware that - when morning came - he would find a message from his cousin that would finally sweep him out of his drafty little apartment in St. Ruthersford... and, hopefully, towards the bigger and better things he'd always dreamed of.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Like trading out his crappy little Dodge for a diamond-encrusted pony rocket. But, man, those pony rockets depreciate _fast..._

So, while I'll be working to make sure this can stand up on its own, this wound up turning into a sort of companion piece for my other ongoing story, _Stumbling Out of the Shadows -_ this one starts about a month before that one, anyway, though the events of _Shadows_ do kick off this story's plot. I'll be working on the two concurrently, though _Shadows_ has priority for now. This idea was just bouncing about in my head forever, and now that I have some fuller ideas for it, I want to see what I can do with it. Plus, I figure it's nice to have options in case I get stuck and frustrated on one story. As you can probably tell, I'll be using the Story of Seasons name for the standard-issue Harvest Goddess... you know, the really fucking annoying one. As for Faye... I just liked the name. I was originally going with "Asteria," but that felt clunky.

Welp! Yeah man I tell ya hwat dang'ol Harvest Goddess done dang'ol blowed herself up real good got all dang'ol EYAHHHHH dang'ol boom, man. Meanwhile, Witch Princess is all "STELLAAAAAA!" - _she's_ the only one allowed to vaporize that woman, after all! - Toni doesn't give a shit about earthquakes when he's got FREE ALIEN LIGHT SHOWS, AWW YEAH, and Rio makes life-changing calls at the most inappropriate hours of the morning. Geez, hasn't she heard of the 9 AM rule?! What an ass.

Anyway, hopefully you all will join me in seeing what lies ahead for Echo Town when Henry snores and drools a path of destruction through there. Or maybe he'll actually be awake next time. Feel free to leave feedback, if you'd like - I'll see you again in chapter 1!


	2. Chapter 1: Roll On Out

Chapter 1: Roll On Out

* * *

The chilly gray gusts blustering through St. Ruthersford that morning pierced through the grimy brick and concrete exterior of the Ashton Circle apartment complex, whistling thinly through Henry Turner's window and eliciting a slight shiver from him as his cousin's voice prattled excitedly into his ear from the far end of her landline.

"Okay, Rio, slow down!" he cut in, quickly draining the rest of his coffee as the young woman on the other end let out an indignant huff. "Sorry, but I can't understand you when you go all... _Boomhauer_ on me."

"All _what_?!"

Chuckling at the sheer annoyance in Rio's tone, Henry refilled his mug until the coffee pot was empty. The caffeine was already working in tandem with the news from his cousin to kick him awake, but the rush of heat from the bitter, dark liquid was even better. _Maybe I should buy one of those blanket-robe things..._ "You heard me, motor-mouth - okay, hold on. Lemme get somethin' to write this down-"

"Honey, there ain't that much to write down," a still-miffed Rio Hart assured him from the other end, the sound of rushing water cutting off as she finished rinsing her dishes. There was a slight rustle as she shifted the phone receiver. "And you call me 'Boomhauer' again and I'm hangin' up on your ass. Your accent ain't much better than mine!" Henry grinned quietly at this, as Rio went on: "Anyway, so.. alrighty, after that earthquake - no, actually, _durin'_ the earthquake - some of us saw some crazy light show up on the mountains! And then my buddy Rod says he saw somethin' red flash up there a little bit later-"

"-And you're _sure_ it wasn't, like, the Northern Lights or somethin'?" Henry interrupted once more, as he sat down at his kitchen table, switching the phone to his left ear and grabbing the notepad and pen just beyond his plate of waffles. Despite his slight skepticism, he had to admit to himself - his interest _had_ been piqued. "I mean, it _is_ that time of year, and it's not unheard of for 'em to be spotted so far south, y'know? Plus, it's not like an earthquake would be mutually exclusive with their appearance..."

"Y'all gonna let me _finish?"_ Rio snapped before sighing at Henry's contrite grunt. "Alright, so that ain't _all_ , okay? Anyway, right when that red light flashed, Rod says he heard some weird screamin' up there, too - definitely wasn't any of us doin' it. Too far away, he says. And not just him!" she added emphatically - a muffled noise sounded, and Henry figured she'd smacked her countertop, much as she whacked any nearby object with her palm when she wanted to make a point. "Couple of the others say they heard it, too!"

Eyebrow going up into his messy, light-brown bangs, Henry scribbled this new information down. "Okay - so you guys are _sure_ it wasn't... an injured animal or somethin'? Did anyone go _investigate_ the noise?"

"...Noooot really," Rio admitted awkwardly, after a slight pause. "Uhh, I mean - well, I don't think so - 'course not! It was dark as hell, and we'd just had this freaky earthquake hit us! Too dangerous. And Rod's buddy Neil didn't think it sounded like any animal - Rod, either."

"'Didn't... sound... like Rod,'" Henry muttered with a slight grin on his face, pretending to write down the words and chuckling when he heard his cousin's exasperated groan on the other end.

"You _know_ what I meant, ya _turd,_ " Rio groused, though there was a faint note of amusement in the statement. "But lemme tell ya, if _those_ two boys don't think it was any animal, then it sure as hell _wasn't_ any animal."

As a new flood of questions started to rise in his mind, Henry hummed in agreement, his voice pitching up slightly with barely-contained glee. "So... that means someone might've been up there when it happened! They - they could've seen what caused it..." Scribbling gradually slowing down to a halt, he let the realization strike him as a small, unsettled pang. "Aaaaaand they might be a frozen _corpse_ up there since nobody went to investigate right away... you're _sure_ nobody went to investigate?" he pleaded.

"...Ah _shit,_ " Rio mumbled after an awkward moment of silence, uttering a soft groan. "Y'know what - I'll check with the doc. If _he_ heard that scream, he'd be boltin' up the mountainside himself in a heartbeat, tellin' everyone else to stay back."

"You do that," Henry agreed, heart beginning to speed up a bit - regardless of the things _beyond_ his control, he couldn't still help but feel a small swelling of excitement start up inside of him. "And I guess I'll get myself ready, too - I'll just have to call into work and see if they can extend my vacation on short notice... I've still got another week saved up..."

"Hey, you're welcome to stay as long as ya like, hon," Rio agreed, sounding rather pleased with Henry's decision. "What time'll you be leavin', about?"

"Uhh... well, I think I should be on my way out tomorrow afternoon, if I get packin' and get things all set _here,_ " Henry mumbled, jotting down a few more notes. "So, I'm gonna meet you by the eastern side, near the Undine?"

"Right - wait," Rio amended quickly. "Lemme check on that after I finish my chores, alright? Gotta check and see if it's safe to go through - I'll call ya back when I find out?"

"Sounds good. Be careful, alright?"

A scoff sounded from the other end of the line. "'Course I will! Like you can talk, _Mr. Investigator_. Oh!" she added on suddenly, as though the thought had just occurred to her. "And you better leave your smokes at home, cuz you sure as hell ain't gonna be doin' any of that while you're stayin' with _me,_ y'hear? My lungs are doin' pretty nicely in this place!"

Now it was Henry's turn to scoff, though his bright brown eyes darted over to the unopened pack of Marlboros he'd impulsively bought a week back, following a rather stressful blind date. "Hey, don't worry about that - I quit, like, two months ago." Striding briskly over to the counter as Rio congratulated him and urged him to keep up the good work, he swept the small rectangular container onto the floor and crushed it with a few hard stomps and a grind for good measure, even as something in the back of his mind screamed _Are you nuts, man?!_ at him.

Still, he thought with a proud smirk, it wasn't the _first_ pack he'd thrown away unopened. And hopefully it'd be the last pack he ever touched.

 _No, no 'hopefully' about it. It_ will _be,_ re reminded himself firmly.

"The hell was _that_ noise?!"

"Just got a cockroach," Henry responded baldly, scooping up the ruined pack of cigarettes and chucking it in the trash can as Rio emitted a disgusted groan. "Yeah, I know, right? Gross! Anyway, I'm gonna have to go - like I said, got some stuff to wrap up before I hit the road tomorrow. See you then?"

"You got it! Since you're leavin' about noon... maybe about three or four, I guess? And keep that ringer of yours on this time, too!" his cousin scolded, prompting a good-natured raspberry from Henry.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll keep an ear out, alright? Take care, _Boomhauer._ "

Before Rio could snark back at him, a snickering Henry clicked the "end call" button, his grin widening. He hadn't expected something even _this_ dubiously solid to finally come about after years of disappointment, and almost throwing his dream in the trash with his multiple sealed packs of cigarettes. It wasn't that he hated bartending at all - in fact, aside from sometimes ending up on the wrong side of a sick drunk, he actually quite _liked_ his job. But it wasn't _enough_ for him. It wasn't getting him out there, exploring the mysteries of the world, hoping he could solve them. It wasn't a break from the mundane, with the promise of more looming on the horizon.

Mixing drinks was a cinch - hopefully this new endeavor would be a refreshing challenge for him.

And, Henry mused to himself as he munched on his waffles, aside from the possibility of some poor soul being trapped or dead up in the mountains of Echo Town...

...This particular lead sounded like it could be _awesome._

* * *

" _It's a long shot, baby, I know it's true. But if anyone can make it, I'm bettin' on me and you..."_

The following morning, a thick quilt of charcoal quietly hung a promise of snowfall over the western outskirts of St. Ruthersford and beyond. Henry heard a familiar woman's voice, husky and with a bit of Rio's southern twang, singing along with the radio as he swung the door open to Mabel & Hank's Roadside Supplies. The bell jangled loudly throughout the comfortingly musty little shop.

Looking up from her worn-out copy of _Road & Track,_ the plump, old black woman behind the counter flashed a bright grin Henry's way, returning his enthusiastic wave. "Hey, Hen! Thought that was your truck I saw out front - haven't seen you drop by this end of town in a while! You finally go nuts and decide to skip town?"

"Aww, who told you?" Henry cracked back, pacing through aisles of necessities, snack foods, and quaint little country knickknacks the Normands sold - he smirked as his eyes caught a little carving of a bear in a sun hat, holding a fishing pole. Moving on and snagging a pack of beef jerky and a bag of sunflower seeds, he smiled over his shoulder at Mabel Normand and went on: "Nah, Rio called - you hear about that earthquake over in Echo Town the other night?"

Eyes widening slightly, Mabel leaned over the counter, now eyeing Henry keenly. "Oooh, yes! Dunhill called and told me all about that the other day! Says everyone's alright - scared the heck out of 'em, though!" Hazel eyes twinkling, she shook her head and chuckled. "Oh, wait - no, don't tell me. Rio's got you going down there on one of your little ghost hunts, huh?"

"Bingo!" Henry confirmed, pointing at her with an approving nod before spinning around and nosing about in the drink cooler - Rio had called back last night, telling Henry a young woman had been found dazed and half-conscious near the foot of the forest, and was currently recuperating in the clinic. On top of that, her friend Rod had decided to call one of _his_ friends over to check things out, as well...

 _Better hurry, huh?_

Changing his mind as he remembered how cold it was outside, he shut the cooler and made his way over to the coffee machines, wishing he'd brought his thermos along. "Yeah, she said everyone's goin' crazy 'cause they saw some weird stuff, and... well, it just sounds like there's some funny business goin' on! Pretty awesome way to start a vacation, right?"

With a fond chuckle, Mabel shook her head and clucked her tongue. "Alright, Scooby Doo! You takin' bets that it's Old Man Withers?"

Henry stuck out his tongue at her as he finished filling up the largest coffee cup he could find, popping the lid on and making his way to the counter. "Oh, har har. You're a riot, Mabe."

She smiled back, scanning his items and keying in his coffee on the register. "Tell that to Mr. Normand - he'd agree! Hey, by the way - you're the second one I've seen today heading over to Echo Town," she added, tapping her chin thoughtfully. "These two folks came in earlier, askin' me for directions there - cute young lady about your age, and this _good_ -lookin' older man, maybe about thirty or so? Handsome sonuvabitch!" Counting out an amused Henry's change, she fanned herself briefly with the small stack of bills and let out a giddy sigh. "Long, shiny brown hair, and a jawline you could cut a diamond on, lemme tell you! Looked like he should be modelin' really sharp suits in Europe or somethin', not strollin' around a little mom-and-pop! I was just admirin' the scenery myself - if Mr. Normand asks," she added with a little wink that made Henry grin broadly, "but he seemed friendly enough - you know, if _you're_ still on the market! Heheheh..."

Sharing a little laugh with Mabel and rolling his eyes good-naturedly as he stuffed the change into the pocket of his thick green parka, Henry shrugged and leaned on the counter as well, elbows propped on the scarred wood. "Thanks for the thought, but how do you know that girl wasn't his? Besides," he added offhandedly, as Mabel pursed her lips in contemplation, "after the date I had last Saturday, I'm kinda wary of strange men for a while now. Remind me when I get back to tell you about _that_ one..."

"I'll be lookin' forward to it!" Mabel agreed, reaching over and giving Henry a quick hug. "Well, you be careful out there, and good luck on your little quest, alright? Tell Dunhill that Hank and I say hey, and to stop by if he's ever in town! You, too!" she added, popping off Henry's woolly, green-and-white beanie and ruffling his already-messy hair. "You better not be a stranger!"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Henry agreed, returning the hug - and, with a mischievous smirk, mussing up Mabel's iron-gray curls. As she let out a shriek of laughter and pushed him away, he grabbed his bag of goodies and chuckled at her. "Take care, Mabe - oh!" The thought suddenly striking him right as he turned to leave, he spun back around. "I _think_ I have some idea already, but did those two from earlier say why they were headin' to Echo...?"

"Same as you," Mabel confirmed with a keen nod, arms fold on the counter. "Sounds like the girl has a buddy over there who called them over to check things out, too. Got some competition, huh?" she added with a playful grin.

Henry cringed. "Iiiii... _hope_ not. Think I can make 'em back off by claimin' I've got family in town?"

" _I_ think you better scoot your caboose if you wanna catch up with 'em," Mabel responded with a cheeky smile, giggling as Henry gave a start, smacked himself on the forehead, and turned to bolt out. "See ya 'round, Hen!"

"Yep!" he called back - and, with another jangle of the little bell over the door, he was out into the snowy Thursday morning, jumping behind the wheel of his pickup and circling out onto the salt-crusted road for Echo Town.

* * *

Ninety-three miles out west from Mabel & Hank's, a beat-up old slate-gray Pinto sat morosely on the side of the road, smoke and steam billowing out into the freezing February sky, and horrid grinding noises shrieking up over the blowing wind as a rather agitated man tried the ignition again and again.

"Seriously, Tina - I'm telling you, it's gotta be the transmission or something," Soseki Furuya groused, throwing his gloved hands up in defeat and slumping against the threadbare driver's seat. Flinging a long arm out, he smacked the emergency flashers on, the yellow blinking adding a bit more color to their bleak surroundings. "Geez, I _told_ you to get it checked out! Well, actually, we _all_ told you not to even _get_ a Pinto in the first place, but here we are," he added under his breath, tugging at his silky, snow-flecked ponytail in frustration. " _Shit._ But, hey, at least it didn't explode... guess we'll have to get a tow truck out here or something, though..."

Slamming the hood down with a disgusted sigh, Tina O'Malley flopped over the front of the car and whined. "I _know_ , I know... I was gonna get it done next Monday, but... well, y'know... short notice and all!"

"Yeah, yeah... hey, wait. You think your buddy can drive by and pick us up? I mean, we're - like... what, sixty-some miles away from the place now? Something like that?" Soseki's heavy, straight brown eyebrows rose as he flicked through Tina's absurdly long contacts list, looking for Rod's name. At his colleague's mopey nod, he shrugged, leaning over and pushing the creaky passenger door open for her as she poured herself almost bonelessly into the seat and pouted. Her arms were crossed over her snug orange sweater, and her wavy, honey-hued hair was all mussed up from the frigid slap of the wind outside. With an offhanded hum, she reached over and turned up the radio slightly, listening to Aretha Franklin wail out her own sorrows into the chilly interior of the car.

Deep-set, dark eyes glancing over at the gloomy girl huddled in her own passenger seat, listening to Rod's phone ring and ring, Soseki reached over and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Hey, look - sorry I got so pissy a moment ago. Least we've got something to look forward to when we get there, though, yeah? Oh - hold that thought," he added apologetically, listening to Rod's voicemail beep as Tina's frown gave way to a small smile and a nod. "Hey, yeah, Rod Barnes? This's Soseki, think Tina told you about me - anyway! Uhh, if you get this anytime soon, we're stuck about... mmm, about sixty miles or so outta Echo Town. The _Pinto_ broke down-" Here, he flashed Tina a playful grin, which was returned with a light punch of the arm of his black leather bomber, "-so... if you can make it out here, or send someone, that'd be pretty great. Call us back when you get this, yeah? See you when we see you!"

"Soseki broke it!" Tina yelled into the receiver right before said man ended the call, giggling and swiping the phone away as he reached over and mussed her hair further. "Heyyyy! Now I'm gonna look like a maniac when he picks us up, you grumpy old fart!"

"Old _what?!_ " Soseki shot back, looking stung. "And _who's_ grumpy? I remember a _certain_ kid next to me pouting like Christmas was canceled a few minutes ago!"

" _K-kid?!_ " Tina sputtered, jade-green eyes going wide - combined with her petite frame, rosy cheeks, and upturned nose, Soseki felt his point had only been furthered. "I oughta lock you out in the snow!"

"I'd stuff _you_ in the trunk," Soseki countered, before leaning over to crank up the radio right as Roger Daltrey let out a demented shriek that made Tina jump in her seat, "but I like the station you're keeping this on!"

"Joke's on you, buster!" Tina giggled. "The trunk doesn't lock, anyway! ...Geez, why _did_ I get this thing?" she asked herself immediately afterward, ignoring Soseki's snort.

With a cheeky smirk, Soseki slipped a little tape recorder from the pocket of his jeans, clicking it on and speaking into it with a comically serious tone:

"Ladies and gentlemen, Tina O'Malley has just asked herself the very question we've _all_ asking for ages - _why_ she ever bought the shitty little Pinto. We now go live to the field where we will attempt to dig up her justification, straight from her mouth. Miss O'Malley, your thoughts?" he added, jabbing the recorder at her and getting it swatted away with an exasperated grin.

"You suck, Soseki!"

"This just in - I suck. Okay, okay! Alright, I'm putting it away!" he laughed in his normal, still-deep voice, as Tina jabbed him between the ribs.

As the two kicked back and dug into the supply of snacks they'd bought during their stop in St. Ruthersford some miles past, the morning quietly passed over into noon, amid slowly-dwindling banter and increasingly-agitated glances at Tina's phone for any word from Rod. Before and after the Pinto, the roads stayed bleak and empty, a few flakes beginning to dance down from the plush, woolly clouds.

"...Mayyyybe I should give him another call," Tina mumbled nearly an hour later, leaning forward to mute Randy Travis and thumb poised to redial her friend.

However, at the sight of Soseki raising his hand and peering at the driver's-side mirror curiously with his eyes narrowed, Tina stopped, checked her own mirror, and gave a start at the sight of headlights pulling onto the shoulder of the road behind them. Squinting a bit as a few more gusts threw glittering white powder about, she saw that it appeared to be a fairly old pickup truck, its deep blue faded and patched with rusty spots.

The situation at hand seemed to quickly dawn on both travelers as they shared a troubled glance - stranded in the snow on an empty road, no civilization for miles either way...

"Uhh... did you bring your gun?" Tina whispered nervously to a grimacing Soseki, watching as the headlights cut off. The vague form of a young man slid out a few seconds later, straightening his heavy green parka as he took a few tentative steps forward, and giving the two a cautious wave. She chuckled weakly, wondering whether or not to wave back. "I mean, hopefully we don't actually need it, but..."

"No, but keep your phone with you and be ready to call the police, if you have to," Soseki returned lowly, getting a nod in return from Tina as he gently slid the keys out and tried to stick them outward between his fingers as discreetly as possible. He couldn't help but mentally kick himself for leaving his pistol at home - what had he been _thinking?_ Maybe he was being a little paranoid, but he'd heard enough stories about unlucky, stranded travelers to be put immediately on edge. There were all kinds of vagrants and maniacs roaming the streets, looking for sitting ducks like themselves, and - _Okay, get a grip, Furuya! The kid's already freaking out..._

Taking a deep breath and willing his heart to slow down, he went on, faintly proud of how steady his voice was: "He can't get us both at once - so, he tries anything? I go right for the eyes, you go straight for the nuts. Hard as you can, just ram those suckers into his abdomen. Then we steal the truck and get the hell out."

"Oh, _stop_ it!" Tina whimpered, taking in a deep, shuddering breath as she swallowed hard and unlocked her door with trembling fingers. Behind them, the young man was rocking back and forth on the heels of his heavy, fluffy boots, shivering and rubbing his arms through his parka. He seemed hesitant to take another step towards the Pinto. "Y-you've got a _contingency plan_ for this stuff?!" the young woman continued in a disbelieving hiss. "Holy crap!"

Soseki's eyebrows rose again, a sideways glance leveled on his colleague. "I would've thought you'd have picked up on that when you learned that I owned a gun, actually... okay, on three. Ready? One, two..."

Hesitantly, two doors creaked open loudly in the howling gusts - Soseki stepping out with smooth confidence, shooting an easy, charming smile the stranger's way. Tina, meanwhile, stumbled out and gasped loudly, hand over her heart as she stammered out a greeting:

"H-h-hey, there, buddy!" she called, clearing her throat and squaring her shaking shoulders. "H-h-how ya doin'?"

Soseki silently thanked their lucky stars that Tina's stammering and shivering could be easily written off as a result of the bitter chill piercing their bones - even through his heavy blue jeans and thick jacket, his own skin was starting to feel a bit frostbitten.

He was also fairly thankful that Tina was doing enough freaking out for the both of them.

"Hey, man!" he called, much more clearly, even as the wind whipped his words and his short, chestnut-colored ponytail around. His muscles tensed in preparation, fingers tightening around the keys as he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jacket. The man hadn't seen him gulping, right?

"Hey!" the stranger responded, giving them another cautious wave - under his heavy coat and thick white pants, he appeared to be fairly slim, a few inches shorter than Soseki, and maybe a year or two older than the twenty-two-year-old Tina, if that. In his mottled-red earlobes, little gold studs glinted. "Saw your flashers on - you folks need any help? Flat or somethin'? I've got a spare and a jack in the bed of my truck... or you need a lift?"

Tina's alarmed eyes darted to observe Soseki, who simply cocked his head and shrugged. He was being surprisingly calm about the whole ordeal - she'd expected a panicking mess. _Like me,_ she thought sourly, as Soseki went on: "Ahhh, I wish! Nah, transmission's out - we're waiting for a guy from Echo Town to give us a lift, actually!"

The young man's expression segued from cringing sympathy to keen curiosity, bright brown eyes lighting up with his disarming, lopsided smile. "Echo Town? Hey - you the guys Rod called, then?"

Perking up and relaxing somewhat at this, Tina pushed her messy hair behind her frostbitten ears, head cocked at the name. " _You_ know Rod? Rod Barnes?" she clarified, feeling her anxiety lessen a bit as Henry nodded.

"Kinda - well, my cousin Rio's friends with him," the young man confirmed, taking a few tentative steps towards the pair and nodding once more at each of them. "Name's Henry - Henry Turner, from St. Ruthersford. Mabel said some folks stopped by before me, headin' out west..."

"That'd be us," Soseki confirmed, finally letting most of the tension drain from his freezing body as he closed the distance between them, gloved hands clasping for a firm shake. "Soseki Furuya - and that's Tina O'Malley, virtually having a heart attack over by the Pinto," he threw in, jerking his head towards Tina with another roguish grin.

"Oh, up _yours_ , you old coot!" Tina snapped from behind them, earning a hearty guffaw in return. "Yeah, yuck it up, Mr. 'Go for the Balls If He Tries Anything!'"

Suddenly all too aware that Tina's keys were still sticking out between the fingers of his left hand, Soseki discreetly opened his fist inside the jacket pocket, letting them jangle in the uncomfortable silence that had fallen, spreading his arms out in a defensive shrug - Henry's easy smile had suddenly become rather awkward. "Hey, you never know, yeah?" Soseki chuckled weakly, feeling his cheeks sting a bit. _Lousy cold._

"Yeah, I hear you on that... I was kinda ready to haul ass if you guys rushed me," Henry admitted, letting out a loud _whoosh_ and letting his own laughter mingle briefly with Soseki's - he seemed to be appraising the older man a little more appreciatively now. "So I don't have much room to talk..."

Soseki shrugged in understanding agreement. "'No good deed,' right?"

"Well..." Circling around from her side of the car, Tina ran a gloved hand through her messy hair and giggled. "Now that we're sure we're all not gonna kill each other... yeah, we're kinda waiting on Rod to head on up and pick us up. If he ever _got_ our message," she added grumpily, whipping her cell phone out and checking it - her green eyes went as wide as her sudden smile. "Hey, missed a call, like, a minute ago! Got a voicemail - bet that was him!"

Scratching his own pink cheek, Henry indicated his truck with a flick of his head. "Well, you guys don't have to, if you're still kinda feelin' leery - but I'm actually headin' out there, myself... gonna meet Rio, crash at her place for a bit while I poke around the town. Y'know, about that stuff that happened a couple nights ago?" he added, curious eyes flicking between the two as their gazes slowly focused on him.

"...Yeah, the lights, and screaming, and all?" Tina asked, phone glued to her ear as Rod's message cheerfully reassured them that help was on the way. At Henry's nod, her eyes narrowed a bit. "Hey, don't take this the wrong way - but... why?"

Henry shrugged. "Hey, why not? It sounds pretty cool, right? Strange lights, weird noises... I've actually been kinda hopin' to have somethin' like this to look into for, like... forever!" he added with a sheepish little chuckle, rubbing the back of his damp, half-frozen hair. "Mabel said you guys were headin' out there for the same reason... well, that, and Rio called me earlier and said that this Rod guy called a friend of his out, sooo..."

"The lady speaks the truth!" Soseki agreed, shooting a reassuring grin at Henry. "Little Miss Scoop-a-Doop here's a rookie journalist, and she's been itching to cover something more than high school sports and Founder's Day parades - so she about peed herself when Rod called her out to check on all of that stuff! And," he added, whipping the little tape recorder once more from the pockets of his snug, heavy blue jeans and beaming rather goofily, "I'm a veteran reporter, myself! She's like my trainee, so we're running a little joint investigation into the incident! Tina, your thoughts on the matter?" he added in the same comically deep, professional tone he'd used earlier, pointing the recorder at Tina and clicking the 'record' button.

"You pull that thing out one more time, and I'm gonna stick it up your butt!" Tina threatened into the recorder, causing Soseki to gasp and pull the device back - now to his own mouth.

"Ooh, hold on a moment! That's perfect - _I'm gonna stick it up your buuuuuutt,"_ he rasped in a creepy, gravelly growl, causing the other two to stifle loud snorts while he slipped the recorder back into his pocket. "You know, I bet I can find a good use for that one later..."

"I do _not_ wanna know," Tina sighed, rolling her eyes, while Henry rocked back on his boots and shook his head in amusement.

"Well, I _was_ gonna offer you guys a lift to Echo Town instead of waitin' for Rod, but now, I dunno..."

"We really don't wanna trouble you," Tina agreed all too readily, feeling a slight twinge of guilt tug at her chest. On the other hand, Henry was standing here, freezing his butt off for some strangers, offering them an alternative to waiting even _longer_ in the cold... "...Buuuuut, y'know what? We'll take it! Uhh, that thing can seat us all, right?" she added, craning her neck to look past Henry at the rusty Silverado, which was now dusted in a thin layer of frost.

"Weeeell... kinda," Henry mused, rubbing his chin as he turned back around to his beloved pickup. "Gearshift's right in the middle, though, so you guys might have to scrunch up together on the passenger side, unless one of you wants to take the bed with the spare and my luggage-"

"Shotgun!" Tina called immediately, right as Soseki opened his mouth to yell the same - instead, his jaw hung open, suspended and puffing out white blossoms as his confused, dark eyes darted between Henry and Tina.

"Ahhh... hell..." Groaning and rubbing the back of his goosebump-riddled neck, he chuckled weakly, crunching over to the trunk of the Pinto and flipping it open to drag his and Tina's luggage out - Henry immediately jogged over to help, lugging three suitcases under his arms. "...Ehhh... well, guess I'll take the sardine can, too! Thanks, man!" he called over his shoulder, watching Henry carefully lay the cases in the back of his truck. "We owe you, big-time!"

"Hey, we just keep each other up-to-date on anything we find, and it's good!" Henry called back with a thumbs-up, which was quickly returned, with a promise of "Scout's honor, Turner!" The younger man grinned, and went on, "Also, I might blast some country, if that's alright."

"Blast away, my friend - hey, O'Malley! _Vamos_ , eh?" he added, getting an eye-roll in return.

"Ah, hold your horses! I was just calling Rod to let him know Henry's got us..."

As they clambered into the front seat - Tina scootching over a little so Soseki could cram himself in between her and the door, and wrinkling her nose a bit at the smell of stale smoke - Henry looked over at them with a raised eyebrow, a small spattering of light freckles barely visible through his lightly-tanned skin. "So, where you guys from, anyway?"

"Brimson," Tina responded quickly, watching as Henry's eyebrow climbed even higher - Brimson was a good ways out from St. Ruthersford itself, let alone sleepy little Echo Town. "Yeah, we hit the trail _really_ early!"

"Like, _eight-thirty_ this morning," Soseki confirmed, suddenly letting out a long, shuddering yawn and stretching his six-foot frame as much as he could in the cramped front seat. He winced at the feeling of something pulling in his shoulder - he could only hope Henry drove quickly _and_ carefully. "I'm actually surprised we got out _this_ far-hey!" He was cut off with a grunt as Tina elbowed him in the side.

"Don't make me push you outta this truck!" she warned, sticking her tongue out at him.

Henry grinned at the two, meeting Soseki's amused gaze. "Careful, Soseki, I think she just might." With that, he fired up the engine, shifting gears gently as Soseki clucked his tongue and gave Tina a playful shove on the head, and grunting as the seatbelt - already stretched uncomfortably across the two bodies - dug painfully into his chest.

A few moments later, with the seatbelt situation resolved amid much squirming, and a beaming Henry easing his truck out onto the gradually-whitening road, the eager trio rolled off for Echo Town. Each found their own thoughts racing, chattering excitedly over the radio, and anticipating what they would find when they got there.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I find that it's easier to get the first few chapters rolling before really getting into the meat of the story - even so, I'm a bit surprised at how easily this one came about once I really got going on it. But, set-up... plus, getting a feel for each character, and their dynamics with each other - while trying to sort of keep it fresh. Hopefully, I can get a better grasp of each of them as I go along, along with the other residents of Echo Town!

So, Redneck Rio from _The Gentleman Macking_ returns to invite Henry to crash at her pad while he slowly gathers enough people to fill the Mystery Machine (two guys, two girls - now he just needs a talking, incoherent dog!). Meanwhile, a very obscure Stevie Nicks reference (well, okay, silent film reference turned into Stevie Nicks song) wants to violate Soseki's journalistic integrity; the Bobby Hill Twins are prepared to go all "THAT'S MAH PURSE! AH DON'T KNOW YEW!" on Henry until they realize he comes in peace; and our trusty trio subsequently hits the road to take down Voldem-wait what.

Well, thanks to therainydaykids, Cotton Candy Mareep, Show The Cook Some Love, and pequodscoffee (from AO3) for the follows - and to Cook even further for the feedback on the prologue! As well as the spot-check, which is a huge help. Well, folks, feel free to leave a review, if you'd like - and let's meet back up in chapter 2!


	3. Chapter 2: Mysteries, Incorporated

Chapter 2: Mysteries, Incorporated

* * *

The pickup truck continued carefully down the increasingly-snowy road to Echo Town, with the thick cloud cover trailing behind it like an obedient dog trying to keep up with its master, shedding lighter and lighter sprinkles of snow in its wake. Heavy gray gradually began to tint with sunny gold and cornflower blue, and patches of the brisk, dusky, lavender-tinted sky became an increasingly common sight as the trio took the long way around the rolling, forested mountain range blanketed in mist and snow - the eastern route into town had been cut off after the earthquake, courtesy of a particularly nasty landslide.

"Nobody hurt or nothin'!" Rio had assured Henry before he'd left that morning. "Just a longer drive for ya, is all! Couple'a trees fell down, though... and Neil 'bout shit his britches worryin' about gettin' to his animals, since he's got a sanctuary a bit out east to keep the animals he sells, but we got 'em all safe at my farm now! Took all damn day..."

"...Soooo, I was _gonna_ head up to the mountainside first, once I got settled in," Henry explained to Soseki and Tina as they passed a beat-up, old metal sign noting West Echo Town to be another sixteen miles out amid a list of other nearby towns, "since that's where the whole light show shebang went off. But apparently, the forest path's kinda all fucked up, and since the path by the Undine's out..." He pulled a sour face as he trailed off, gaze flicking out the window to scowl at a few of the more crooked trees nestled atop the distant form of Echo Peak.

Crossing her arms as best she could with Soseki squished against her, Tina nodded thoughtfully. "Mmm, yup... well, hey, we can still interview a few of the people around town while that's getting cleared up, see what they've got to say!"

"Yep, that's a solid back-up plan!" Henry agreed, once again chipper.

"And," Soseki chimed in, thumping his now-sleeping foot against the floorboard in an effort to wake it up, "there's that girl they found passed out at the edge of the forest. She's probably got quite a story to tell, herself!" Leaning back, he chuckled wistfully and shook his head. "Ah, yes. Late-night light shows, blacking out in strange places... takes me wayyyy back! Hey," he went on, as Tina and Henry shot him intrigued and baffled stares, "even _I_ had my wild days, back when I was still young!"

"...Thought you were only thirty-one?" Henry asked pointedly, though his eyes were back on the road now as Soseki nodded wryly and mumbled that he hadn't used the word 'only.' "So what's with all the fussin'? You don't even _look_ thirty-somethin' yet..."

Rather pleased at hearing this, Soseki laughed and shrugged. "... _Well,_ still, I've been told I'm an old _soul..._ "

Cracking a slight grin, Henry rolled his eyes and snorted. "Ahhh, those _soul_ years, riiiight! I gotcha now. Hey, Tina, how many soul years are _you_?" he added innocently, getting the girl in question to snicker and put a finger to her lips in mock-contemplation.

"Hmm! Gee, I dunno... Soseki just always makes himself sound so... so _ancient!_ "

Sighing, Soseki shook his head and finally stomped his tingling foot awake. "Ahh, you kids are killing me, here..."

"Better us than old age," Henry shot back lightly, taking a left at the final bend that would lead them to town as Soseki groaned and shook his head.

A short time later, the trio came upon a decently-sized patch of frost-crusted gravel off the side of the road, next to another thicket of trees and a worn wooden sign welcoming them to Echo Town. A large, flat field on the opposite side of the road seemed to play host to a modestly-sized hangar and a decent bit of runway jutting out parallel, though no planes sat out in the snowy sunset - only another sign, this one declaring the little airfield to be property of the Camellia Travel Agency, located at 11 West Echo Town.

Henry pulled into the miniature parking lot, a large, sunshine-yellow Jeep cheerfully perched on one side of the sign, looking rather warm and cozy underneath its chilly white jacket. On the other side sat a light-brown minivan with a kitschy, apple-shaped air freshener dangling from the rearview mirror, and what appeared to be a small trailer hitched up in back. Gently leading his truck to a crunchy stop beside the Jeep, Henry killed the engine and stretched happily.

"And we... are... here!" he grunted as he felt his vertebrae pop, tossing the door open and springing out with a fresh surge of energy flooding his veins. On the other side, a much more cramped Soseki nearly flopped out with a relieved gasp, Tina oozing out after him. "You two okay over there?"

"Feeling preee~tty fabulous!" Tina returned brightly, while Soseki merely hummed an affirmation.

"I have to say, I'm liking the little airport and parking lot deal they've got going on here," the older man mused, peering into the Jeep - the back was loaded with water, newspapers, and various bags of high-quality pet food, treats, and toys. "Hey, Tina, look - Rod even had his car stocked for a trip with us!"

Craning her neck as Henry unlatched the tailgate of his truck and climbed in to start retrieving their luggage, Tina smirked back at Soseki. "Newspapers, huh? Heheh, I forgot to tell him that you're housebroken now!"

"Good to know - I was countin' on that," Henry chimed in, hopping off of the bed with two suitcases under his arms and jerking his head back in the direction of the truck as Soseki crunched over to help them out. "We're gonna have to hoof it the rest of the way... mine's got wheels, though! And it's not really that far..."

"Well, you get your little wheelie-dealie-mobile, and we'll handle ours," Soseki offered, clambering back out with the aforementioned luggage. He rolled it onto the ground with a surprised grunt. "...Here for the long haul, my friend?"

"Well, a week or two at most is what I'm aimin' for, longer if I gotta stay longer," Henry responded with a shrug and a small grin, while Tina scrabbled into the truck bed behind him, trying to snag all of her luggage in one go. "My boss owes me a favor, and we go back a ways, so he's lettin' me max my vacation time early for this, since we've been slow." Turning, he then helped the overloaded Tina with her three cases, a bemused expression on his face. "...You guys lookin' to stick around some, too, huh?"

"They're... mostly... Soseki's! He likes to... wear... yukata!" Tina grunted as she slid her feet back onto the ground, wobbling a bit under the weight of the luggage she carried. A rather curious-looking Henry slid two of the cases out from under her arms, passing them off to an amused Soseki, while Tina wiped her forehead and let her breath out in a loud _whoosh_. "Y'know... those Japanese, uhh... the bathrobe-y... thingies?"

"Ohhhh, yeah, those! Think I've seen 'em before!"

Soseki winced. "Come on, now, Tina! My old man would have a stroke if he heard you saying that! But, yeah, they _are_ pretty comfortable," he added with a bit of a smirk, scratching at the dark patch of scruff on his chin with his free hand, while Henry latched the tailgate back up and made to stretch a heavy blue tarp over the bed to keep any more snow out. "A smidgen too cold right now to be wearing them for anything other than lounging about indoors, though, sad to say..."

Snapping the last cord in place and making sure the tarp was pulled nice and taut, Henry gave the fabric a quick pat and nodded smartly, a cheerful smile overtaking his face. His bright eyes flicked over to discreetly assess the well-shaped backside of Soseki's snug blue jeans, grin growing a bit wider. He couldn't quite find fault with the absence of the yukata. _Alrighty, perv, get your mind back on why you're here._ "Yep, sounds like a real shame... welp, let's get movin', folks! Almost there!"

Paying only minor notice to how Henry's slight twang had grown stronger with his cheerful proclamation, Soseki and Tina followed him through the rolling, densely-forested path leading into Echo Town proper. Diamond glitter winked off of bare branches and glazed-over leaves and needles, a few of the fallen trees being awkwardly propped up by their friends; here and there, clumpy little snowbanks and drifts rested, shaken rudely to the ground in the recent quake. A few unseasonably early arrivals twittered in the glimmering canopy and scurried up and down the chilly trunks and bushes, lending the shadow-brushed path something of an ethereal feel as dusk settled in.

As far as Henry was concerned, the town had the sort of sleepy, peaceful feel to it that made it an absolutely _perfect_ target for mysterious happenings.

"Lovely place they've got here," Soseki mused, craning his neck back to look at the branches stretching overhead, creating a natural sort of archway. "It used to be something of a ghost town, yeah? I mean, obviously _before_ they got some big shot with a damn _plane_ to move out here!"

Henry nodded over his shoulder. "Somethin' like that, yeah. Been here once before, 'round when Rio moved in, and it was kinda-" He held a downturned thumb in the air and blew out a raspberry, "-but she tells me it's been growin' pretty nicely since then!"

"Looks like it!" Tina agreed as the western end of Echo Town proper began to take shape before them - twilit shapes seemed to emerge from the faint mist, windows and streetlights alike glowing with cozy warmth; a few neatly-pruned trees were speckled about the brick pathways. Far across the town and high above them, the outline of Echo Peak was barely visible, and to their immediate left sat a pair of two-story, brick-and-stucco houses welcoming them into town. In front of the nearest building, the Camellia Travel Agency once again made its presence known, its elaborately-carved sign inviting travelers to tour with them. "Heeeey, we found our pilot's pad!"

"And possibly Dolores Umbridge's, too," Soseki mused, a rather disturbed look upon his face as they caught sight of a rather ostentatious home on the other side of the pathway, decked out in a rather unholy deal of pink - from the siding, to the fairytale curlicue pattern of the wrought-iron fence around its front yard, and even in the rounded, snow-caked shingles upon its roof. Now thoroughly amused as he caught Henry gawking in the same utter revulsion that he felt, Soseki added, "I wonder how many people it scares away from the travel agency... Tina, what say we have _you_ interview whatever lives there, mmm?"

Tina simply shook her head good-naturedly and sighed " _Men!_ " as they trudged on past a fourth residence, resting just beyond the forest path - humble, with its thatched roof and a gentle flicker pulsing in its windows. A short distance after that, the local inn sat at an angle, a dried-up fountain perched out front. Tina jerked her thumb back in the direction of the little cottage by the forest. "So, hey - Rod told me the woman that lives there, Iroha, found that strange girl passed out in the forest the morning after the quake..."

"Ooh, really? She's the one?" Henry turned around and eyed Iroha's place keenly as they walked away from it, eyebrow going back up again. Now walking backwards, he continued dragging his suitcase along, gaze fixed almost longingly on the home - from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a pair of dark, empty-looking buildings on the plateau below the pink residence. "Wonder if this Iroha got anything outta her yet? Y'think we should go and-"

" _I_ think you should watch your step before you take a nasty little tumble downhill, my man," Soseki cut in quickly, causing the red-faced Henry to start and spin back around with a sheepish laugh - he'd almost backwards-walked right off the edge of the downward-sloping path.

" _Whoops!_ That coulda been real ugly... guess I'm gettin' a touch _too_ fired up," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck as he collected his bearings. "So... guess y'all are staying over there?" he added, nodding in the direction of the inn. Just past it, the lit-up forms of a few more buildings could be seen, standing vigil around a large, empty stone plaza.

"Far as we know!" Tina agreed, eyeing the statue perched atop inn's fountain with a bit of interest. "I'm rooming with a friend of Rod's who works in town, and Methuselah here gets his own room!"

"Methuselah _needs_ his own room, with you around," Soseki shot back, rolling his eyes with a light-hearted little scoff. "So he can gum his porridge and watch Matlock in peace."

Henry snorted, flashing a grin over his shoulder at Soseki. "Don't think you're helpin' your case there, buddy."

Soseki returned the grin. "Oh, no - you see, I was completely serious."

Passing by a charming red-brick house sitting at the bottom of the hill, the trio could hear the muffled sounds of someone rather skillfully playing an electric guitar on the second floor.

"Well, now, listen to that," Soseki went on cheerfully, humming and swaying his head a bit in time with the fading, melancholy music as they approached another pair of homes, hearing a few voices start to drift their way. The gradually-dimming form of Echo Ranch was visible just beyond the fences that divided it from Echo Town proper, with Rio's coop and barn radiating pleasant light on the far side of her neatly-plowed fields of broccoli and collard greens. The windows of her farmhouse, however, were dark. "We get live rock music at no extra charge! Nice welcome gift, I say. This place really _is_ swanky!"

"And there's our welcome wagon!" Henry added, breaking into a slight jog and waving as he approached the porch of the second home. "Hey, Ri-Ri! Emma!" The two chatting women turned and shared a knowing smile at the sound of his voice. Rio, a short and wiry twenty-one years, long blonde hair tucked under her pink knit cap and freckled cheeks crisp in the winter air, bounded off the porch to tackle Henry and pull him into a headlock with a cry of " _Henry!_ C'mere, ya little shit!"

" _Who's_ a little shit, ya... hoe-draggin'... _scarecrow_? Ow!"

A grinning Emma Sheffield, light auburn hair up in a bun and a vivid red pea coat wrapped about her stocky frame, followed Rio at a much more relaxed pace, waving back cheerfully.

"Well, I see Mysteries, Inc. just pulled into town! Welcome back, Hen!" she greeted as Henry's beanie landed at her feet, Rio giving him the mother of all noogies. He twisted her small, red-tipped nose in return, eliciting a strained honk from her. With a giggle and a shake of her head, Emma turned to Soseki and Tina, who were gaping in astonishment at the sight. "Hey, so you're Rod's friends, right? C'mon, set your luggage down, kids - your arms must be killing you at this point!" she went on cheerfully, ignoring Rio's shriek - Henry had managed to wriggle down, scoop up a handful of snow, and dump it down the front of her snowman-patterned sweater. Rio promptly retaliated by pulling his parka over his head, grabbing her own handful of snow and smushing it against his now-exposed lower back.

"GYAHHHH! _Jesus,_ woman, that's _cold!_ "

" _That's_ for the Boomhauer crap!"

Emma watched them for a moment before turning back to the distracted Tina to repeat her question: "...Well, anyway - you know Rod, I believe?"

"...Rod lives here, yeah," Tina returned vaguely as she and Soseki set their luggage down by the porch, shaking Emma's outstretched hand. She was unable to help but miss her family a bit as she raised her eyebrows in amusement and watched the cousins roughhouse quite shamelessly. Henry's own suitcase had been knocked over in the tussle.

Emma gave a bright nod in response. "Ahhh, okay! So, then, you're-"

With a start, Tina looked back over to Emma and shook her head contritely. "Oh! Oh, right, sorry! I'm Tina, yeah! Nice to meet you!"

"Soseki Furuya," Soseki added, sparing an entertained glance for Henry and Rio, and flashing Emma a winning smile as she shook his hand next. "Quite honored to meet such lovely ladies in a lovely village! Very sprightly folks around here, eh?"

With a wry smirk, Emma shook her head and tittered, while Henry and Rio ended their stalemate and dusted the snow off their now-damp clothes, their hair sticking up all over the place. "Oh, _you!_ You're so full of it!" At Soseki's cough and sheepish chuckle, Emma patted his shoulder and winked. "But thank you, sweetie, the pleasure really is all ours! Well, welcome to Echo Town! I'm Emma, and that little blonde menace over there is Rio, as you may have guessed. I'd introduce you to our next-door neighbors-" She nodded to the white-and-green, Tudor-style house they'd passed a moment ago, facing her own at a slight angle, "-but I'm afraid they're out to dinner right now. Hopefully you'll run into them later, though!"

"Pleased to meet y'all!" Rio chirped, holding out both mittened hands for the journalists to shake. "So, Rod tells me you guys'll be lookin' into that crazy-ass mumbo jumbo from a couple nights ago, right?"

"We're kind of divvying up the mumbo and the jumbo with Henry, since he helped drive us here when my car broke down," Tina responded with a giggle, bending down to grab Henry's abandoned beanie and toss it back to him. They shared a grin, and she shook her head at the sight of him. "...Sooooo, are you guys done with Wrestlemania for now? Got it out of your systems?"

With something of a breathless nod, Henry thanked her and crammed the beanie rather crookedly back atop his head, looking all the goofier for it. "Y...yep! Just had a... bit of catchin' up to do. Haven't seen her for a good while, now!"

"Bit of ass-whoopin' we had to get back to," Rio pitched in, giving him a little shove on the shoulder. "So, I bet with you three on the job, we'll be gettin' to the bottom of this in no time, huh?"

"That's the plan!" Soseki agreed, eyes now dancing about the rest of East Echo Town. "And maybe kicking back and enjoying the view, in the meantime. Aaaaand the local cuisine," he added with a smirk, gaze fixing on the distant form of the small restaurant he'd seen by the plaza earlier. Rubbing his chin, he turned to Emma. "The greasy spoon open?"

Frowning for a brief moment, a confused Emma muttered, _"Greasy spoon?_ Greasy sp... oh! Chez Clement!" Suddenly letting out a hearty laugh and lighting up, she swatted Soseki's shoulder playfully, clucking her tongue at him. "Ohhhhh, he'd blow his top if he heard you say that! But he is open, yes."

"And I think your roomie's workin' there tonight, too!" Rio added, clapping Tina on the back and getting a surprised grunt in return. "Felicity Ross - Rod says he told ya about her, right? Real sweetheart, you're gonna love her!"

"I already like her name! But, maybe we'd better go drop off our luggage at the inn first," Tina mused. "It might be a bit awkward, sitting at a table with all this junk around..."

"Hmm, and I was gonna try paying with a spare pair of my underwear," Soseki quipped, causing Rio and Tina to scrunch up their faces as the latter girl gathered her luggage.

"Bleugh! Juuuuuust lost my appetite!"

He wasn't quite deterred. "Because of my _sickeningly_ good rhyming skills?"

Tina pushed his smirking face away. " _Sure_ , we'll go with that. Well, Henry - you wanna come with? Chow down a little with us?" Tina added, looking back over her shoulder at the older boy, who waved off the invitation.

"Nahhh, I'm good! I'm gonna head down to Rio's and unpack, catch up with her, figure out where to start tomorrow... bit late and dark for me to start pokin' around, anyway."

"He means they don't want any witnesses for when they resume trying to kill each other," Soseki stage-whispered to Tina, eliciting a snort from Rio.

"Ahh, ya got us, Ponytail. Welp, it was great meetin' y'all! And don't you worry," she added, slinging an arm around Henry's shoulders and squeezing him, "I'll have your new buddy here alive and well for your investigatin' tomorrow mornin'! You know where y'all are startin' yet?" she added quickly, blue eyes flicking over to a thoughtful Henry.

"Well... I'm thinkin' maybe one of us can check in on that girl that, uhhh... that - Iroha, right? Right, Iroha! Check with her, and that girl she found in the woods... they at least safe to look around in a bit?" he added, turning to Rio with a hopeful look in his eyes.

"A _bit,_ yeah," Rio echoed, now looking up in the direction of the forest rising high at the north end of town. She shuddered a bit at the memory of the red-and-green flare lighting up the night sky as Echo Town rumbled violently. "Can't go too far, though. Couple trees down just past the mines... but we'll get to workin' on that in no time!"

"Sounds like a good starting point," Soseki agreed, his words sliding into a thick yawn as he hunched his shoulders and stretched his back. "...Ahhhh, think I'd better get started on settling in, myself." With a slight nod, he stuck his free hand out to a beamng Henry for another firm shake, Rio watching from the sidelines with an amused expression. "Henry, my man, much obliged for the lift earlier - great to meet you. Thanks for putting up with me and Tina - I look forward to working with you!"

Tina nodded, replacing Soseki's hand with her own. "We'll catch you tomorrow! About... ten sound alright? Buddy boy here is a chronically late riser," she added with a grin back to Soseki, who simply shrugged and cocked his head with a little smile.

"Sounds good to me!" Henry agreed, watching Soseki and Tina now say their goodbyes to Rio and Emma, the latter of whom was pulling them into strong hugs. "I'll catch y'all then! ...What?" he added with a slight frown, as Rio started snickering.

"'Y'awwwwll-uh,'" she repeated in an extremely exaggerated drawl, waving as the chuckling journalists departed. "And you were makin' fun of _my_ accent, ya goon!"

Henry scratched the back of his neck, looking flustered. " _Hey_ , my accent's _still_ not as bad as yours..."

"Awww, I think it's so cuuuuuuute," Emma cooed, tweaking one of Henry's pierced earlobes. "He sounds like yooooou!"

Rio chortled again, bending down to pick up Henry's nearly-forgotten roller suitcase. "Yeah, he gets like that when he's excited!"

Blushing a bit now, Henry waved it off with a good-natured laugh. "Ahh, c'mon, I ain-"

He suddenly paused and bit his tongue, watching Rio and Emma stare at him with expectant smirks on their faces.

"Yeah, Hen? Go on, we're waitin'!"

"... _I'm not_ that bad," he stated pointedly, nose now in the air in spite of the corners of his lips tugging upwards. "See, _I_ can stop myself sayin' it."

"Damn!" Rio cuffed him on the shoulder. "I know you, boy, you'll be talkin' like me before long!"

Henry folded his arms and looked away. "I'd like to see you make me!"

"I'd like to see it, too," Emma chimed in, brushing off Henry's look of mock-offense. "Get him, Rio!"

After another quick round of goodbye hugs from Emma, Rio and Henry set off down the road for Echo Ranch, Rio now pointing out a few of the lit-up houses in the early night sky, icy stars beginning to glimmer far above the silvery-white blanket.

"Dang, this place's really grown since I was here last," Henry mused, looking around the peaceful forest town. When he'd last stopped by nearly two years back - to pay his respects to his late great-uncle, and help Rio get moved into her new life as a farmer - many of the buildings dotting the town had been ramshackle, and almost completely abandoned. He couldn't help but be amazed at the turnaround. "I mean, still seems kinda small, but... it doesn't feel _dead_ like it did last time! You folks must've been bustin' your asses fixin' this place up!"

Rio's head bobbed in rapid agreement as she sniffled and swiped at her slightly-runny nose with her sweater sleeve. "No kiddin'! I've been busy with my farm, but helped out a bit with reno when I could - Emma's friend Rebecca really jump-started it when she moved in, woman's like a damn wizard. I'm really likin' it here! So," she went on, as they neared the entrance to Echo Ranch, "we got the hair salon and general store right by me, and we ain't had anybody move in there yet-" Her finger jabbed towards another thatched-roof building, similar in design to that of Iroha's and the general store, "-and then up there, we got the doc - we'll check on his patient tomorrow, and lemme tell ya, that man's _strict as hell_ \- and then Rod up in that little cabin there, a little ways from Dunhill's! Well, guess ya can see Rod's easier anyway, since it's closer... not like you don't know where Dunhill's is, though."

"Who's got the one by the doc's place?" Henry queried, looking at yet another darkened house looming right above the general store. "That for sale or somethin'?"

Rio cocked her head, stretching her knit cap out a bit to tuck a few stray locks of hair back under it. "Ahhh, I think so! They just finished restorin' that one, and they're runnin' little ads in the area right now, seein' if anyone might wanna buy. I'll introduce ya to a couple folks tomorrow, too," she added brightly, grinning at him as they turned the corner to the ranch - a few sturdy sheds sat to their left, beyond which Henry could see terraced hills rising to meet with the rolling land around the Undine. Though he dragged behind Rio a bit and turned around, straining his eyes and walking backwards once more, it was a bit too dark to make out the extent of the damage the landslide had caused to the eastern limits of town.

With a slight shrug, he spun back around, smiling as he heard increasingly-clearer moos, clucks, and bleats from the barn and coop off to the right of Rio's home. "Heh, sounds like someone became a mommy while I was gone!"

"Yeah, the pregnancy was a bitch," Rio cracked, making Henry snort as she dug in the pockets of her heavy white jeans for her keys. "But they ain't all mine - just two of the cows, the big, grumpy sheep, and a couple chickens. I'm housin' some of Neil's too, remember? So he don't have to take the long way 'round town to check up on 'em, least till we get the eastern pass cleared up. You wanna go meet the kids when we get settled in?"

Henry nodded enthusiastically, eyes drifting over the impressive fields of greenery passing by just to their right, Rio's cozy, two-bedroom farmhouse now looming above them. Behind the farm, the soothing gurgle of the Undine could be heard, and he closed his eyes to take in a deep breath of the crisp night air. "Sheesh, Ri-Ri. You wanna trade? This is pretty friggin' sweet, here!"

"No kiddin'!" Rio chuckled over her shoulder at Henry as she unlocked the door, letting them inside and illuminating the large, open living room with a flip of a switch - slightly-messy, with overstuffed furniture, a ticking grandfather clock, and oak wainscoting running below the creamy walls. Henry looked down and noted that his great-uncle's atrocious brown carpeting had been replaced by shiny hardwood, and a few fairly new-looking appliances sat in the cramped kitchen over to their left.

He already didn't miss his crummy little studio back in St. Ruthersford.

"But," Rio went on, rolling Henry's suitcase over to the hallway and setting it inside a door just on her right, "I dunno if you'd last a day workin' out there, Mr. Mixer! Farmin's actually pretty back-breakin', ya know! 'Less ya wanna help me with my chores and find out, of course." Her eyes twinkled playfully as she issued the challenge - Henry had now made himself comfortable on the worn-down, red plaid loveseat, pulling his great-aunt's colorful, heavy afghan over himself and sighing happily.

"Ahh, I'll take on your farm any day of the week, Goldilocks! Can't really beat this, either," he added, nodding towards the large window behind Rio's couch, where the sheer curtains offered a peek at the rolling river, and the surrounding countryside. "Sheesh, y'all were lucky that earthquake didn't really fuck things up more around here!"

Sprawling out on the couch with a grunt and her arms spread out over the back, Rio stared up at the gently-whirling ceiling fan and heaved a loud sigh. "Heheh, look who's soundin' more like me already. _Y'aaaaall!"_ Henry stuck his tongue out at her, but she waved it off and continued: "Seriously, though, you're tellin' me! Guy at the salon lost power for a bit, think a window or two broke, houses got kinda outta order a bit... scared the hell outta my babies, too," she went on, cracking a grin as she heard Henry snicker. "But, yep! Dunno how we got off that easy, but I ain't complainin'!"

"And this place ain't even on a fault line," Henry mused, whipping off his beanie once and for all and scratching at his head. His eyes lit up, and his hands started to drum excitedly on his lap. "Yeah, I'm likin' these odds! So, you guys get anything outta the girl yet?"

"Pffff, I wish!" Here, Rio rolled her eyes. "Naw, she was unconscious - helped Iroha get her to the clinic, but Klaus ain't lettin' nobody in to see her till he's sure she ain't gonna die from bein' _looked_ at. Means well, but the guy's gotta stick up his ass 'bout a mile long." As Henry burst into laughter at this, Rio clucked her tongue. "Weird-lookin' thing, though! I mean, real pretty girl, got this gorgeous, curly blonde hair I'd kill for, but she had on this whackadoo black capey-shawl thing, too! Like some kinda crazy druid or somethin'!"

Up went Henry's eyebrow, once more. "For real? Y'all found Stevie Nicks in the forest? Kick _ass_!" He stuck his tongue out with a cheeky smirk as Rio leaned over and swatted at him. "Hahaha, that a no, then?"

"Honey, I'd _kill_ to find Stevie wanderin' around here, don't even start!" Slumping back once more, Rio drummed her fingers on the arm of the couch, chewing her lower lip thoughtfully. "Nahhh, that thing she had on was all torn up, anyway. Poor girl was pretty scraped up, but she ain't _dead,_ at least."

"Small favors," Henry muttered wryly, stretching his arms and yawning. "Weeeeell, hopefully one of us can get somethin' outta her, whoever winds up checkin' in on her tomorrow!"

"Heh, I'd like to see Mr. Ponytail interviewin' her," Rio said with a little giggle. "He seems to think he's pretty slick stuff. 'Weeeell, ain't you a lovely lady! Ya wanna hit the greasy spoon and see my drawers?'"

Scoffing at her impression, Henry shook his head in amusement. "Aww, you don't like Soseki? He seems fun!"

Rio shrugged, popping her cap off and flinging it to the far end of the couch, shaking out her rumpled hair. "Nahhh, he seems alright, I guess. Just kinda... _smarmy._ Guess I can't expect _you_ to agree on that, though, huh?" Her eyes twinkled slightly as she leveled a pointed stare at Henry, who looked utterly confused.

"And _that's_ supposed to mean...?"

"'He seems fuuuuuun,'" Rio parroted dreamily, an exaggeratedly-goofy smile on her face. " _Please_ , child, I saw you eyein' him up! You and Emma," she added thoughtfully, as Henry simply rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. "Hey, I don't blame ya - not _my_ type, but he ain't half-bad!"

Henry groaned, flumping back on the couch and pushing his hair back from his forehead. "It's called makin' eye contact, Ri-Ri. Y'know, good manners? Sheesh, I just met the man a few hours ago!"

"Not like that's stopped ya before," Rio muttered - and, before a furiously-blushing Henry could sputter out a rebuttal, went on: "Hey, nothin' wrong with window shoppin', anyway! I do it myself, ya know! You kinda got lucky you picked up such a pretty travelin' companion..."

"Yeah, Tina _is_ a lovely girl," Henry returned, groaning again and letting his arm flop back down. Now, he was the one watching the ceiling fan spin around and around in a lazy loop. _Note to self, don't run your mouth to Rio about your love life in the future._ He was fine shamelessly pushing Rio's buttons to drive _her_ up the wall, but apparently it ran on her side of the family, too. "Sheesh! I have some kinda reputation I'm not aware of or somethin'? Don't answer that," he added quickly, as a sly-looking Rio once again opened her mouth to speak. "'Sides, I'm here on business. Leave me alone." Cheeks burning, he thought back to Mabel, earlier in the day, offering to fling Soseki Henry's way like a frisbee. Perhaps she and Rio were part of some hive mind, founded specifically to give him a hard time. He couldn't help but wonder if she planned to tease him like that about _every_ guy he met in town. _Knowing her... ohhh, yeah._

Though, he conceded to himself, Rio did have a good point - while he wasn't downright _thirsty_ like she seemed to be implying, there was certainly nothing wrong with admiring the scenery.

With a gleeful look on her face, Rio chuckled. "Hey, I know! I'm just screwin' with ya! Kinda like you were wantin' t-" She stopped when Henry shot her an exasperated glare, shrugging. "...Alright, alright! I'll leave ya be for now, Grouchy-Pants!"

Allowing himself a small smile, Henry's eyebrow went up yet again. "...'Grouchy-Pants', really?"

"Grouchy-Pants as long as you're a grouchy-pants," Rio confirmed stubbornly, getting up from the couch with a soft grunt. "Hey, how 'bout we go see my babies? That'll cheer you right up!"

"Hey, I'm plenty cheerful!" Henry insisted, nonetheless flopping the afghan back over the top of the loveseat and springing to his feet with a big grin on his face as he followed Rio out to her barn. At the sight of the fluffy sheep and placid cows, he almost melted, beaming as he was introduced to a cow named LuAnne - Rio's first cow, mostly-black with a striking white splotch between her ears. LuAnn swished her tail and let out a contented moo, Henry humming fondly as he stroked her neck. "Hey, girl. You see any funny business 'round here lately, huh? Huh?"

Rio shook her head good-naturedly as she watched the exchange. "Yeah, she don't talk that easi-"

LuAnne mooed again, cutting her off.

" _You don't know me, woman!"_ Henry squawked in a high-pitched voice, causing his cousin to stare at him in utter confusion. "Hey, just translatin' for ya! Y'know," he added, giving LuAnne a final pat on the back and turning around to amble over to an ewe with a comically grumpy face, "they say animals are pretty sensitive to supernatural stuff... too bad we dunno what the hell they're actually sayin', though. Think I could take one of 'em with me while I'm investigatin'?" he finished half-jokingly, squatting down to give the sheep - Peggy - a gentle pat on the head, drawing a happy bleat from her. "Bet this one could scrounge up a couple clues for us if we get stuck!"

"Yeah, lemme just saddle Peggy up, and you go on off and ride her up the mountainside to glory," Rio quipped, sweeping her hair back over her shoulder and laughing. "Ahh, you'll do fine! Just better get some sleep tonight so you're ready to start lookin' around bright and early tomorrow!"

"Don't need to tell me twice!" Henry agreed happily, following Rio out as she led him to the coop to meet her chickens. He cast another glance northward, in the direction of Echo Peak - too far away, darkened, and misty to really see at the moment.

Something big was waiting for them up there, and he couldn't wait to find it.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, I was hoping I'd get this done eventually. Sorry for the delay! I kind of hit a stumbling block trying to start this one (alongside playing more ANB to make sure I had a good handle on the characters), and had to go back and fix a few little details... including making sure the layout I had in mind for the town was practical, possible, and consistent. As much as it could be for Echo Town, anyway, with a few creative liberties admittedly taken (Charles and Neil, I'm looking at you). And making sure I had a solid idea in mind of where I wanted to take things, _and_ working on Henry a bit, since I imagined him a bit twangier than he initially came off in the previous chapter. I'm a little ashamed to admit I actually made an MS Paint map of Echo Town as well, showing where I wanted everyone's houses set so I'd have a point of reference for later. On the plus side, I whipped up a swanky new cover!

Well, the gang's in town and ready to sniff out some rhosts, ruh-roh! Meanwhile, Neil puts on a free concert - buy your tickets today! Rio and Henry throw down for the title of Ultimate ANB protagonist - buy your tickets today! And _what_ exactly is Rio trying to imply about Henry's taste in men? And his accent? Buy your tickets todwait that doesn't even make sense. What will our little ragtag band of snoops find as they pester the townsfolk and ride Peggy up the mountainside? Will Faye tolerate or throttle Soseki? What's that, LuAnne? You say little Toni fell down a well? Some of these questions possibly answered in chapter 3!

Also, props to Show The Cook Some Love for the feedback and being a great sounding board when I got stuck, as well as for the spot-checks on the chapters! And to Oberon_Weiss on AO3 for the great comments, the follow, and the kudos! Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter - feel free to leave some feedback, if you'd like, and we'll meet back up in chapter 3!


	4. Chapter 3: Little Bits and Pieces

Chapter 3: Little Bits and Pieces

* * *

 _Neither here nor there - no darkness, no light. Days could have passed, seconds could have trickled by, nothing could have moved. Time could have reversed. Everything lost in a blink, or trapped in suspended animation, or spinning about in whichever direction it pleased - she wasn't sure anymore, if she ever had been, sorting out the conflicting clash of sensations. Immobilized and writhing, slumbering and aware, pleading without words or actions._

 _Unconsciously, she reached out, tearing an agonizing, crimson gash across the numb and colorless void-_

With a strangled grunt, Faye bolted upright on the cot, bruised arms and legs quickly becoming tangled in the flimsy sheets as she thrashed around. She squeezed her eyes shut against the blinding stab of pain in her temples.

With a gasp, she pressed the heels of her hands to the sides of her head, whimpering quietly as she tried to massage the feeling away to the best of her abilities, in the absence of her powers, willing herself to stumble out of bed so she could grope around the dark ward for the wonderful mortal invention known as migraine medication. The doctor upstairs continued snoring at a volume just soft enough for her labored breaths to drown out, and she popped two tablets and chugged down a cup of water, crushing the flimsy paper cylinder in her fist when another wave of pain struck.

Though Faye knew and felt full well that her magic was still sealed away somehow, her subconsciousness was currently refusing to grasp and accept the reality of the situation - at least, from what she could tell. This was the third consecutive night that she'd tried to reach out to Gaia in her sleep.

 _Or reach back,_ she thought with a slight frown, meandering over to the infirmary window as her pain started to wind down to a dull ache. Resting her arms on the sill, she pressed her forehead to the wonderfully chilly glass and sighed, pulling back briefly to scan the inky night sky for any irregularities. There was no mistaking it - in some small way, those dreams at least told her that some part of Gaia's consciousness most likely still existed somewhere, and was trying to reach her... to warn her? Beseech her?

 _Yeah, 'beseech' sounds about right._ She smirked at this, feeling her heart start to settle back down while her ego soothed her, and her crimson eyes remained focused on the stars. _No strange lights, no unusual alignments or appearances, no ominous messages left by a passing skywriter..._

And if Gaia was trying to establish contact, that meant that she was - in whatever capacity - still around _to_ try and establish contact. Corporeal, incorporeal, recuperating in Bora-Bora with a Mai Tai and being fanned by an oiled-up cabana boy in a thong - Faye didn't really care. Though she had to admit that the last scenario sounded pretty appealing to her.

 _Still leaves a couple problems, though,_ she reminded herself, pulling a sour face at the implications. Present in body or merely in spirit, the ominous nature of the dreams didn't tell her much, other than that Gaia was definitely in trouble - not that she necessarily _needed_ the heads-up. Even with her powers locked up tight as a fortress, she could still sense a strange, almost-imperceptible shift in the air around Echo Town. One that would only, gradually, grow in time - into what, even she couldn't be quite sure, as much as the thought frustrated her to no end. What sort of solution was she supposed to hammer out with only a gut feeling and creepy dreams at her disposal?

She certainly couldn't ask the ignorant mortals in town for help - she'd get further asking a pile of bricks, or a rubber boot pulled from the Undine, and she wasn't quite too keen on making them privy to her origins or purpose to begin with. She was already stuck in a backwater town populated by complete strangers, without any means of magical defense, and her best prospects for help miles and miles away - divulging her status as a witch at this point would probably be tantamount to suicide. Or at _least_ a one-way ticket to the loony bin.

No, at this point, all she could do was wait until she regained a little more strength before resuming the search, right back at ground zero. And waiting games pissed her off.

* * *

"Heeeennnnnryyyyy!"

Rolling her eyes, Rio knocked on the door yet again, knowing full well she wouldn't get a response - Henry slept like a rock when he was tired, and from what he'd told her the other night, he'd barely slept the past few days in his excitement. The disturbingly massive amounts of coffee he drank daily probably hadn't helped much with that either, she mused, knocking once more. Even as antsy as Henry was to start zipping about Echo Town, investigating and questioning and being his generally bouncy, highly-caffeinated self, she should've known he'd be dead to the world the moment his head hit the pillow. Nearly nine in the morning, her chores were pretty much done, and he was still sawing logs.

No, sir. Not on her watch.

"Alright, Rip Van Winkle, I'm comin' in!" she warned pointlessly, swinging the door open and scanning the small guest bedroom with a disgusted sigh. Clothes were on the floor, piled on the desk and chair to her left, pretty much everywhere _except_ for the dresser, with Henry's open suitcase laying next to him on the queen-sized bed. The man himself was snoring softly on his side, shirtless, the smooth strains of "Raspberry Beret" failing to bounce him awake as he hugged a pillow to his face. His bare feet stuck out from under the blanket, which had somehow managed to wind up sideways during the night. _Sheesh, he's gonna catch a cold!_ Rio thought with a groan, palm to her forehead. _And can't he sleep with his friggin' mouth closed? I just washed those damn pillowcases...!_

With another roll of her eyes, Rio swiped a blue t-shirt from the pile of clothes on the desk and chucked it at Henry, the garment striking against the headboard with a soft _whump_ before slumping down to drape over his head. "Rise and shine, Hen!" she said loudly, cracking a grin as she heard him snort in confusion. "Got a busy day ahead, remember?"

Giving a start, Henry yanked the t-shirt off his head, running his fingers through his already-rumpled hair and squinting at Rio in confusion as he sat up and mumbled groggily: "...Whazzit? ...Wha' time's it, then, eh...?" With a low hum, he rolled over and stretched to check the clock on the far side of the bed - moving the blanket off of him, and causing Rio to utter a loud groan and turn away with her hand over her eyes as she was suddenly exposed to far more of Henry than she'd ever wanted to see.

"Christ's _sake,_ boy! I don't need to be seein' that!" she grumbled, causing Henry to look down - and, with a sheepish yell, pull the blanket up to cover himself further, now much more alert. "You coulda _warned_ me! How the hell ain't you cold?!"

"Didn't think _you_ were gonna come bargin' into my room to wake me up," a red-faced Henry grouched back as Rio snapped that she _had_ warned him. Grabbing the t-shirt and slipping it on with a huff, he leaned over again - blanket held firmly in place this time to avoid flashing her again - and shut off the clock radio. "Geez... I'll be out in a sec, go away and lemme get dressed!"

" _Gladly._ " And out she went, though not before flinging a nearby pair of underwear at him and telling him they'd start on breakfast "when you're done freezin' your balls off."

A few muttered retorts and a fresh pair of clothes later, a much more genial Henry sat at the breakfast table, munching away at his eggs and waffles as he went over the recent events with Rio once more. Offhandedly dipping half of his waffle in the absurdly large mug of coffee to his left, he ignored Rio's revolted expression as he checked over the notepad to his right, pen in hand. He swallowed the soggy concoction. "So, lemme see here... I already got your story-"

"Eww, you're actually _eatin'_ it like that?!"

"-And I'm hopin' one of us is gonna be talkin' to that patient today, prolly that Iroha girl too, see if Stevie Jr. told her anything... mmm, who else?"

"You're just bein' gross today, y'know that?" Rio went on, as Henry paused to take a deep gulp of the waffly coffee. "Who mixes _that_ stuff together?"

"Me," Henry responded nonchalantly, still running his pen down the list of notes he'd scribbled down the other day. "'Kay, lessee, lessee... and we should talk to Emma and her daughter, her neighbors..."

"May as well work your way 'round the whole town," Rio pointed out, trying to discreetly sneak a sausage off of his plate while his attention was divided, and getting her hand smacked away in return.

"I was plannin' on that, actually - just gotta figure out where to start. Uhhh, Dunhill give any of 'em the heads-up?" he asked, suddenly looking up and moving his plate closer to his side of the table. "I almost feel kinda sloppy, doin' this without some kinda itinerary..."

Rio shrugged. "Ah, he said he was gonna ask some folks when a good time would be to talk to 'em, and he keeps his word - just gotta work around their work schedules is all, chill out! Blondie's probably in talkin' condition at this point, I'd imagine," she added as an afterthought, draining her orange juice and fiddling with the end of her braid. "And I don't think Iroha's workin' on anything today. Her work's done to order, and she does her trainin' the rest of the time, so she'll probably be free for a chat! She's a real sweetie, so y'all shouldn't have any trouble talkin' to her. You dip that waffle in there again, and I'm gonna hurl," she added, her nose scrunched up as Henry hovered the final bite of his waffle over the mug with a mischievous expression. "...Ah, hell, you're gonna do it anyway, ain't ya?"

He flashed her a charming grin. " _Fine,_ I'll dip my eggs in my coffee instead. That sound fair, Ri-Ri?"

Tossing her braid over her shoulder, Rio gathered her dishes and made for the sink, nose stuck in the air as she turned on the water and grabbed the sprayer. " _Bleugh!_ I knew you city folks did some weird shit, but holy crap! _That_ is nasty!"

Chuckling, Henry drank the rest of his coffee. "Yeah, it is - I wasn't actually gonna _do_ it, y'know! Even I've got my limits!" As he said this, he padded over to the coffee maker to refill the massive mug to the brim, blissfully oblivious to Rio's skeptical stare and flat "Uh huh." Turning to her and leaning against the counter, he tilted his head and took a deep swig. "So, you wanna come with while we're makin' the rounds? Watch our snoopin' skills in action?"

"Watch a bartender bein' social and pullin' secrets outta people, huh?" Rio said in mock-contemplation. "And here I thought you were s'posed to be on vacation."

Henry knocked back what was left of his coffee in one massive gulp and sighed happily, before fixing Rio with a teasing stare. "What, so you're sayin' they're all gonna be drunk at this hour? Sheesh, what kinda town _is_ this?"

"Alright, smartass, get goin' and meet your little Scooby-Doo crew before I make ya start plowin' a new field or somethin'," Rio ordered exasperatedly, drying off her dishes and putting them up as Henry snickered behind her and turned to go get his coat and gloves. "'Sides, I'm worried you're gonna start shootin' grounds between your damn toes at the rate you're goin'. Go work off some of that caffeine. I'll catch ya later - I'm gonna be in the forest, cleanin' up if ya need me!"

"I'll try to stop by and help after I'm done!" he called on his way out of the door. "Don't go gettin' hammered while you're hammerin', now!"

And he was gone, before he could catch Rio's retort that his joke sucked.

* * *

Breath floating up and away before him, Henry found himself growing slightly overwhelmed as he reached the outskirts of Echo Ranch, taking in the now-sunlit forms of the colorful, snow-capped houses, bushes, and benches dotting the sleepy little forest town. Here and there, he could see a few unfamiliar people milling about, most of them too distant to discern, exchanging greetings as they passed each other.

Bouncing on the balls of his feet and wondering where exactly he was supposed to start off, he scanned the area and caught sight of the inn on the far side of the plaza, shrugging to himself before making his way over. His eyes drifted longingly up to Echo Peak - looking suspiciously brown and barren in the daytime - before he sighed and shook his head. _Just have to be patient, kiddo._

As he crossed Echo Town, he quickly spotted Tina and Soseki crossing his way from the direction of the inn, waving to them and breaking into a light jog as they approached each other. "Mornin', guys! You ready to start?"

"Hear that, Tina?" Soseki asked, raising his eyebrows and grinning down at his friend. "You're a guy now!"

Rolling her eyes, Tina smiled back at Henry, jabbing her thumb to her left. "Ohhh, do you wanna guess what _I'm_ ready to do? It involves a shovel."

Henry clucked his tongue and shook his head. "So, I'm guessin' that's a yes and a yes, huh? Weeeeelllllp, I'm loaded with enough caffeine to kill a damn herd of elephants right now, so let's do this!"

"What, kill elephants?" Tina quipped, watching in amusement as Henry bounced in place, eyes darting around the town. "'Cause I kinda have a moral objection to doing that."

Soseki chortled, starting to walk forward and motioning for the other two to follow. "Well, we'll just have to have all the fun without you, won't we, Henry? C'mon, Mr. Zabat said Dunhill was going to get us pointed in the right direction. Tell us who's free to chit-chat today and all."

"Hossan Zabat," Tina explained, off of Henry's puzzled look. "He's the innkeeper, really nice guy. Says he just moved back into town and reopened last year! We chatted with him and his little boy last night while we were checking in - Niko's such a sweetie!" she added with a giggle. "I wish my brothers had been that well-behaved when they were his age! Rotten little hellions..."

"And Tina there chatted with the lovely Miss Ross," Soseki went on, grinning over his shoulder at them. "Love at first sight, those two - I could hear them squealing and cooing and doing each others' hair and crying over _Fifty Shades_ all night."

Tina tutted loudly and gave him a light shove. "Oh, don't be jealous! We would've done your hair and let you cry over _Fifty Shades_ too, you know!"

Soseki swatted her hand away, scoffing at the offer. "I prefer to cry over crappy fiction in _private_ , thank you very much."

Thoroughly entertained as he watched the two, Henry stuffed his hands in the pockets of his parka, waving when he saw Rio emerge from her house. She waved back, before turning to check her mail. "So, you guys get anything new outta those folks, then? I mean, we got the lights and the weird screamin' and earthquake and all, and the girl at the clinic..."

Scratching his chin, Soseki shook his head. "Well... Hossan and Niko didn't have much to say on that - they're pretty sound sleepers. Heck, Hossan said he didn't know _anything_ was even going on until Felicity came pounding on their bedroom doors afterward to check on them..."

"But!" Tina interjected brightly, rubbing her heart-patterned mittens together, "Felicity herself said _she_ thought she heard someone keep yelling someone's name up there - she _thought_ it might've just been one of the neighbors, but it sounded like it was coming from the woods. Didn't get a response when she ran outside to check, though. She said Iroha heard it, too..."

"Sounds like Blondie up in the clinic," Henry muttered thoughtfully, lips pressed into a thin line as they passed between the salon and the general store, climbing up the hill towards the northeast side of Echo Town that bordered the Undine. "At least, I'm hopin' so... unless we actually _do_ have a frozen corpse on our hands," he added under his breath, grimacing, and causing Tina to glance at him curiously.

"What's that, now?"

"Ahhhh." He waved the question off, falling into step beside Soseki, Tina flanking the older man on his other side. "Nothin', just thinkin' out loud. Sooooo - hey, you say Felicity heard a name, yeah?"

Tina nodded, green eyes bright with interest now. "Mmm-hmm! Yeah, she said it was kinda muffled, but from what she tells me, Iroha heard the same thing - sounded like... 'Maya' or something, I think she said? Kinda got me worried for a second," she admitted with an embarrassed titter, "because Rod's got a friend named Maya who lives over in Castanet, buuuuut... I don't think she'd come all the way to Echo in the middle of the night! Plus, it's not like it's a really uncommon name..."

" _Friend,_ huh?" Soseki teased, waggling his eyebrows and grinning roguishly at his companions as they neared Dunhill's homey little cabin in the northeastern-most corner of town, a brick-paved path just a few feet away leading to a forested plaza. "Ohh ho ho, I bet _I_ know why she'd come all the way down here at night, then!"

"Now, you behave!" Tina scolded, smacking his broad back. "She's _seventeen_ , you dirty old man! Besides, Castanet's... like... fifty miles southwest of us! Rod's a great guy, but who walks fifty miles in the snow to get _laid_?"

"Me," Henry piped up without missing a beat, biting his tongue to keep from snickering.

"Me," Soseki echoed in an innocent tone, both of them snorting and bumping their fists together when Tina let out an exasperated groan, grumbling something they couldn't make out.

"Yeah, the interviews are just gonna go _so_ _fantastic_ with Beavis and Butt-head, here..." Heaving a long-suffering sigh, she gave Soseki another gentle shove and strolled up to Dunhill's door, knocking politely. "Now, you two _behave,_ " she repeated, smiling as she heard loud, deep barking from within the cabin. A man's admonishing, drawling voice followed, along with the sound of scratching on the other side of the door:

"Alrighty, Roxie, get back here! You go lay down and play with your chewies, we don't wanna scare 'em off! Go lay down, girl! Go get your chewies!" With a jiggle of metal and a creak, the splintered old door of the cabin swung open, revealing a tall, thin old man. Between his rumpled, blue-striped button down, worn-out cowboy boots and blue jeans, and his grizzled gray hair and beard, Roger Dunhill was by no means the picture of an average, stereotypical authority figure - much less a mayor. Still, his smile was warm and genuine as he greeted them, right hand holding the collar of the massive, scruffy Irish wolfhound that was barking, whining, and wagging her tail at the group, trying to lunge forward and greet them herself.

"Morning, folks! You two must be Rod's friends. I'm Roger Dunhill, mayor of this here joint - good to see you back, Henry!" Dunhill added with a little wave, before sticking out his hand for Tina to shake, then Soseki - who, trying not to smirk, idly noted how much dog and master resembled each other. "Well, c'mon in and make yourselves at home! Don't mind Roxie, here - she's a good girl, she just likes making new buddies! And not listening to her papa - isn't that right, you stubborn little missy?" he added in a coo. "Yeah, see Henry there? He came back to visit you!"

Briefly ignoring Henry's familiar presence, Roxie instead lunged forward to snuffle excitedly at a giggling Tina, slobbering all over her proffered, mitten-free hand.

She scratched the friendly beast atop her head as she entered the cozy little house, slipping off her windbreaker at Dunhill's suggestion, and setting it on the nearby coat rack. Dunhill's cabin was simple and rustic, filled with knotted-pine everything, and two worn-down, brown couches set in front of the blazing fireplace on the far wall. Colorful cushions were piled in one corner, littered with rawhide chews and dog toys.

"You been doin' alright, then, Rog? Mabel and Hank say 'hi,' by the way," Henry asked as he, too, draped his parka on the rack and withdrew his notepad and pen from the pocket, pulling off his gloves and getting roped into a one-armed hug by Dunhill. Returning the hug with his free arm, he pulled away and knelt down to rub his nose against Roxie's, chuckling when the wolfhound's massive tongue swiped at his chin. "Hey there, baby girl! This big ol' monster been keepin' you in line, eh?"

"I dunno which of us big ol' monsters you're talking to!" Dunhill cracked, taking a seat on one couch and kicking his boots off, opposite from where Tina and Soseki had settled. Much like Dunhill, Soseki had immediately made himself at home, leaning back and stretching out his long legs, arms draped over the back of the couch as he let out a contented groan. Dunhill grinned at the sight. "But we've been doing just fine, yup! You give those two my regards when you see 'em next! Love to get with 'em for dinner sometime..."

"Well, _this_ big, old monster appreciates your hospitality, my man," Soseki sighed. Unlike Tina and Henry, he'd opted to keep his jacket and gloves on in the toasty room, looking no less comfortable for it. He cracked his neck and ignored Tina's pained cringe as Henry settled in between them, hands behind his head. "So, how long have you been the mayor here, anyway?"

Scratching his beard with a gruff laugh, Dunhill shrugged. "Ahh... good question, kiddo! I dunno, actually!"

"'Kiddo,' heh heh," Tina snickered quietly, feeling one of Soseki's nearby fingers poke her in the back of the head. "Hey!"

"Put a lid on it, O'Malley."

"Man, how do you _not_ know somethin' like that?" Henry added with a good-humored roll of his eyes - he knew the story, but the answer still amused him. "Your memory startin' to skip out, buddy?"

Dunhill waved it off. "Well, yknow... not like I was elected or nothing! Just, uhh... what's that word Rio calls it... default? Nahh, de-something."

"De facto?" Soseki supplied as he dropped his hand for Roxie to sniff and lick, getting a snap and a nod from Dunhill as thanks.

"That's it! Well, anyway, Henry here knows what a dump this place used to be before," Dunhill explained, cracking a small smile when Roxie propped her front paws up on a hesitant Soseki's lap and began sniffing his face now. "People leaving, all that stuff. Well, here we were - me and just a couple other folks, some of us grew up around here - and we didn't wanna see this place go under! This was after Rio's grandpa Jay passed - Henry's great-uncle," he added, indicating Henry, who nodded with a slightly wistful expression on his face as he idly scratched Roxie's back and took over the storytelling:

"Yep, Rio tells me they've been workin' on restorin' this place for a while now, started some time after she moved here... renovations, gettin' the word out to nearby towns and cities for folks who were lookin' to start businesses out in the countryside..."

"Everyone's been a huge help," Dunhill went on with an easy smile, patting his lap and prompting Roxie to trot over to him. He scratched under her chin as he went on: "Got different people around here handling those renovations, gussying this place up, getting the word out... Rio and I help out with that stuff where we can, anyway. I balance the checkbooks," he went on, chuckling, "but mostly I'm just the pretty face of the whole thing, who got everyone here on-board 'cause I wouldn't shut up about it!"

"Hey, if you'd shut up at some point, this town might've gone under!" Henry laughed, shaking his head. "Anyway, yep, there y'all have it - the story of how they somehow wound up with Dunhill in charge around here at some point. See, I didn't tell 'em you actually had the last mayor bumped off," he added proudly, getting an eye-roll in return.

"Alright, you little smart-aleck... well," he added, sitting up straighter and patting Roxie on the head, "I'd love to keep chatting with you folks, but I know you've all got some business to take care of, so let's get started here! You were wanting to interview us - get our takes on the events and whatnot, right?"

Soseki nodded smartly, slipping his tape recorder from the pocket of his leather bomber with a little grin. "Nailed it, my man! We already spoke to the people at the inn last night, so we can check them off the list - your buddy Hossan said you had some other people lined up for us to talk to?"

"Just a couple," Dunhill agreed, "to start off with - don't wanna overload you folks. So, for today, we've got Miss Iroha, down near the inn on the far side of town... and the folks right down the street from me, at the clinic! Dr. Klaus and the girl - think her name's Faye? Took a _lot_ of pestering to get Klaus to agree to let her have visitors," he added with a chortle, "so he's not gonna be in the best of moods, lemme tell you! 'Course, he hardly ever is... well, that's beside the point. Who wants to see whom?"

"I'll see Faye!" Tina piped up immediately, getting amused stares from her companions. "What? The poor girl's probably been through enough, I don't wanna leave her with _you_ guys!"

Henry tutted, folding his arms. "Awww, now that ain't nice!"

"You wound me," Soseki agreed dryly, hand over his heart. "Well, I think I'll follow Tina to the clinic just to get back at her for being such a brat-" Tina blew a raspberry at him for this, and he smirked and gestured at her, as if to prove his point, "-and talk to the doc."

Dunhill stared at him in utter bewilderment. Clearly, this was a man who was entirely unfamiliar with Eric Klaus in any way, shape, or form. _Well, they are new here..._ Then again, really, _any_ of them were in for a hard time if they had to talk to that man. Soseki had just willingly drawn the short straw, was all. "Alrighty, well - you have fun with that, kiddo! Guess that leaves you and Miss Iroha," he added, looking back to Henry, who nodded brightly.

"Well, that works fine for me! Rio says she's real nice, and Iroha's the one who found that Faye girl, so..."

"They're expecting us, then?" Tina cut in, brushing back a lock of hair that had escaped from her loose bun. "I mean, we're not going to just be barging in and asking them to kibitz with us, right?"

"Ki- _what?!_ " Henry mumbled, eyebrow going up in confusion. Still, Dunhill seemed to have picked up on the context, shaking his head.

"Oh, not at all - they know you're coming!"

"Actually, though," Soseki mused, finger to his chin and tape recorder tapping against the leg of his jeans, "before we head on out - do you mind if we record a run-down of events from you, too? If it's no bother, that is - just wanna make sure we get all the details we can. Plus, you live closest to the mountainside..."

Shrugging, the older man leaned back and folded his hands behind his head, propping one leg up on the other. "Hey, I'm in no rush to go anywhere! 'Sides, whatever helps you kids! Fire away, buddy!"

"Excellent, thank you very much! Mind if I sit next to you for this? That way, the recording's clearer-" At Dunhill's nod, he moved over to the other couch, settling himself down on the far end and giving Roxie a little scratch behind the ears. "Alright," Soseki went on, as Tina and Henry prepared their notepads and pens, "you guys ready, too?" At their nods, he clicked a button on the recorder, and-

 _"_ _I'm gonna stick it up your buuuuuutt!"_

An exceptionally awkward silence fell over the room as four stares - including Roxie, ears up and head tilted in confusion - leveled on a red-faced Soseki, who was rubbing the back of his neck just under his ponytail and chuckling sheepishly. "...Ahhh, heh heh - I... I forgot that was on there," he managed with a rueful grin, while Tina buried her face in her hand and mumbled "Jesus _Christ_ , Soseki."

Henry, meanwhile, was similarly red-faced, fist to his mouth as he tried to keep himself from bursting out into hysterical laughter; Dunhill simply knit his eyebrows, mouth hanging open in a frown and muttering "What in the _devil?"_ under his breath.

Clearing his throat, Soseki clucked his tongue and sighed, willing the burn away from his cheeks. "Ahhh, yeah, so - _that_ happened. Sorry about that - can I have a do-over? When Henry stops cackling like a hyena?" he added, voice raised slightly over Henry's muffled guffaws as Dunhill nodded blankly. Henry himself looked seconds away from rolling on the ground, the corners of his eyes glinting with mirthful tears.

"W-who... who's c-ca... ca-cacklin'?" Henry wheezed in a faint squeal, snorting and giggling uncontrollably. "Aaaaaahahahaha... ahhh, heh... ah, shit, man," he sighed giddily, slumping back onto the couch and wiping his eyes as he started to calm down. "Th-that was... awesome. Ahhh... alrighty, Rog, go 'head. Sorry."

Scratching his cheek, Dunhill nodded again, blowing out a sigh. "Right, right. You ready now?" he added patiently, raising his eyebrows at a wryly-smiling Soseki.

"Finger's on 'Record' this time, scout's honor! And, three... two... one!" Another click - and with no further embarrassing threats rasping out into the air after a tense moment, he began, holding the recorder close to his mouth: "This is Soseki Furuya, thirty-one years old and an investigative journalist with _The_ _Brimson Everyday._ I'm conducting the first of my Echo Town interviews following the earthquake that took place late in the evening of February 24, 2014. I'm here with my protégé, Tina O'Malley, also a journalist for _The Brimson Everyday;_ and freelance investigator Henry Turner, from St. Ruthersford. The time is-" He shook back his jacket sleeve and checked his watch, "-10:37 A.M., and today's date is February 28, 2014. Sir, could you state your name, age, and occupation, please?" he finished, tilting the recorder in Dunhill's direction.

The mayor cleared his throat. "Name's Roger Dunhill, fifty-seven years old, Mayor of Echo Town - just 'Dunhill' will be fine," he said easily, leaning back with his fingers laced behind his head - much to Tina's amusement. Henry, meanwhile, watched in a bit of fascination at how effortlessly professional Soseki became when conducting an interview - he was now sitting up straight and looking attentive, his voice calm and respectful, completely in his element. No smart-assed remarks or goofing about, like he'd seen at first - just a completely different man wearing Soseki's bomber jacket and jeans.

He wasn't quite sure how he felt about "freelance investigator" as a title just yet, but he had to admit - it did have a certain ring to it.

Dunhill began his account of Monday night's events in his laid-back, gruff drawl, sounding almost nonchalant about the whole thing - Tina and a now-focused Henry scribbling furiously, while Soseki interjected periodically with simple, neutral questions: _Can you please describe what happened that night? Can you tell me where you were when that happened? Can you tell me what you saw? Can you tell me what you heard?_

"My hearing's started going south on me, so I can't be much help there," Dunhill said with an apologetic shrug at the last question, after giving a description that otherwise matched most of what the trio had thus far heard from Rio, Felicity, and the Zabats. "I know people are talking about somebody screaming up there, but I was making the rounds, checking up on everyone. Probably missed it."

Soseki nodded, giving the mayor a friendly smile. "Well, that's perfectly understandable."

"Mmm. But, you know," Dunhill added thoughtfully, looking up at the ceiling, "darnedest thing - I got this weird feeling _before_ the earthquake struck. Not literally right before, but not hours before either. Couldn't have been more or less a couple minutes." His eyes narrowed as Soseki, Tina, and Henry looked at each other with intrigued expressions, and then back to him. Leaning forward a bit, Soseki pressed on calmly:

"Can you describe it, please?"

"It was... well, I'd say it was just plain odd," Dunhill muttered, giving his beard slow, pensive strokes. "That tingly, hair-on-end feeling you get when someone runs their nails down a chalkboard, you know? But nothing I could think of set it off. Stomach clenched up, got a little shaky, too - felt like I was gonna hurl." His expression soured at the memory. "Thought maybe I was sick or having some kind of stroke or heart attack or something, but before I could get up to go see Dr. Klaus, bam!" He smacked the arm of the couch. "Earthquake City! Funny thing was," he added with a deepening frown, "afterward? There I am, scared as hell, but feeling otherwise fine! I dunno, figured the adrenaline knocked me right - Klaus checked on me later, says there's no signs of any funny business. I'm perfectly healthy. Err, aside from my cholesterol." He chuckled sheepishly along with his guests, rubbing the back of his scraggly gray head. "Ahhh, maybe my body just sensed something weird, though. I know that happens sometimes to folks."

"Anything is possible," Soseki agreed genially, looking quite satisfied with the outcome nonetheless. "Well, Dunhill, I believe that answers all the questions I have for you at this time. Is there anything further that you'd like to add before we conclude the interview?"

Starting to shake his head, Dunhill stopped and grimaced as he remembered that the interview was being recorded on tape, and cleared his throat. "That's about it, ki-err, Mr. Furuya," he corrected hastily, Soseki nonchalantly waving it off. "Thanks for taking the time to chat with this old guy!"

Soseki grinned. "My pleasure, sir. Thank you for your time." Thumb positioned over the proper button, he clicked the recorder off once more. "Aaaaaand I believe that's a wrap! You've been a great help today, my man," he continued, getting up with a slight groan and leaning forward to shake Dunhill's outstretched hand, gently tucking his tape recorder back into his jacket pocket.

"Anytime, anytime - well, it was great meeting you two! And good to have you back in Echo, Henry! You all feel free to drop by sometime," Dunhill offered, arms now folded in amusement as he watched Tina and Henry fuss over Roxie - somehow, she'd found room to roll over onto her back between the two couches, legs splayed about and tongue flapping around carelessly while her massive belly was rubbed and patted. "Heh, alright, you big, spoiled baby. We don't wanna keep 'em waiting around forever!"

With a round of thanks and goodbyes as they retrieved their jackets and slipped their gloves and mittens back on, the trio departed into the brisk Friday mid-morning, Tina whipping her notebook right back out of the pocket of her red windbreaker and scanning over what she'd written down. "So, hey, sweet! Less than twenty-four hours here, and we've already got some new details to gnaw on!" She tapped the last section of neatly-written notes with her mitten, nodding in approval. "Plus, the people we've met so far are really super nice, so that helps!"

"Mmmm." Soseki nodded in agreement as they started ambling the short distance to the clinic, the sun gleaming off of the fresh layers of crunchy snow. "In particular, that name business Felicity and Iroha mentioned is still niggling at the back of my mind... I was hoping Dunhill might have something on that, but..." He shrugged. " _Que sera, sera._ "

"Yeah, I was gonna bring up the name thing to Iroha," Henry said, peering at his own notepad with a slight frown. "Not to mention, Dunhill said he was feelin' all funny shortly before it all happened... 'course, _that_ could just be a coincidence, but..." He trailed off, leaving Tina to pick up for him:

"Yeah, but with all the _other_ stuff going on around that time, too?"

"Well," Soseki reasoned, stopping at the frosted glass door of the Echo Town Emergency Clinic, "let's not jump to conclusions _just_ yet. Not that I'm not itching to do just that, of course..."

" _I'm_ itchin' to go nosin' around up there," Henry chimed in, nodding up in the direction of Echo Peak, the top of which could only be faintly seen from their current position. "Rio said she's gonna be helpin' clear the debris out in the forest, so I might stop by there afterward, see how it's goin'... help her out if it gets us up there faster!" he added with a laugh.

"Sounds like a plan!" Tina agreed, clapping Henry on the shoulder. "Hey, you wanna met us up at the inn afterward for lunch, compare our notes? Say... around two? We tried their breakfast this morning, and Niko's cooking is _really_ good!"

"You got it! I'll see y'all around then!" he said as he took a few crunchy steps backwards, returning their waves with a two-fingered salute. Winking and pointing with a sly grin, he added to Soseki: "Don't be playin' any more dirty messages to folks, now!" The older man simply hunched his shoulders and chuckled wryly in response, cheeks going pink as Tina giggled and shook her head. Taking a few more steps back and waving, Henry spun about unsteadily on his sneakers, regaining his balance and cutting through the plaza for West Echo Town at a light jog. He glanced around furtively before attempting to hop the fence running behind the inn, ending up flat on his face in the snow for his troubles.

Back by the clinic, Soseki settled his hand on the shiny brass doorknob, nodding to Tina. "After you, Sparky."

Tina grinned brightly as he held the door open, giving him a mock bow before heading inside. "Alright, let's do this!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, this finished earlier than I expected to! (Even if I started it later than I thought I would.) What with work picking up as people prepare for Memorial Day weekend and summer, starting another ongoing story, and the most recent chapter of Shadows being an utter behemoth by my standards, I didn't expect to recover and get back on the ball so soon. On the other hand, I remember getting sleep at one time. Remember the days when you slept 8 hours a night, and MTV played music videos? Pepperidge Farm remembers. And, since I can neatly condense the main cast into four primary characters, Henry's new buddies (and Faye) joined him on the character list.

Well, it looks like our news crew is starting the rounds about town! Meanwhile, Faye dreams of greener, sexier pastures, and endangered goddesses - the two are hopefully mutually exclusive; after starting off with a blinding view of Henry's goodies, Rio's Friday morning can only improve from there; Henry will probably bleed coffee if you cut him at this point (try it!); Soseki's indirect attempt to proposition Dunhill falls flat; and mother of God, I just realized that Rod and Maya look like they could totally be related. Gross, Soseki.

Thanks to Show The Cook Some Love for spot-checking for me, and to Twilightsin for the comment and the kudos over on AO3! So, what'll come of our heroes chatting up the town? Will Soseki offend Klaus? (Of course he will, it's Klaus.) Why didn't they interview Roxie? You may or may not find out in chapter 4 - feel free to leave a review, if you'd like, and I'll see you there!


End file.
